To Chase A Fox
by Lyall Fidelis
Summary: A story about how two people running for their lives, could end up running into each other. Sort of an AU later on answering a question of how much Varric lies in his tales. Rated M for romance in later chapters. FenrisXOCJezebel.  Revised Edition
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story. A story about a woman on the run, who, along the way helps a slave escape his master. You may have heard a different tale by a silver tongued dwarf. But he left out a few details about what truly happened to the brooding Tevinter elf and what his powers could really do when put to the test. So sit back and enjoy a tale that is rarely heard in the whispers of the taverns.**

*****It's a slow moving romance. Because, seriously people, be realistic. Not all girls are like Isabela and not all guys are like Zev. True passion and enthrallment take time. First couple of chapters are based in Seheron with snip-its of Fenris, before Hawke and the rest of the gang. **

**Disclaimer: All characters and places that my OC meets and goes to belong to Bioware's series Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II. But I own my OC. Therefore… Bioware… owns me? All the places included were taken from a map of Thedas, so I didn't make up any names of these places/oceans or even changed their locations. They all belong to Bioware.**

*****I use a lot of Latin because my OC technically grew up in Tevinter (it is said that Arcanum is very close to Latin and there are little references to go about talking in Arcanum so Latin it is), but they also occasionally uses Gaelic(the Irish version because it has more vocabulary) which is a speculation of what the language in Starkhaven is(or loosely connected to). Explanation for why that is includes a connection to my OC's past which will be revealed later. I will put a (1) next to it if it's Latin/Arcanum, and a (2) next to it if it is Irish. Sometimes I will throw in Qunari language. I will always have the translations in italics next to it if the word or phrase is not used frequently, then it will be up here. First chapter does not mention the name of the shadow except for the beginning and the end.*****

**And yes, I'm finally finishing revising this story.**

**Dux Mois(1)- My Leader**

**Amice(1)- My friend**

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><p><strong>Chapter: 1<strong>

**The Shadow**

****Cassandra crossed her arms, smirking in a way that made the dwarf uneasy. "So, Varric, tell me about Fox."

The beardless dwarf sighed, rubbing his stubble. "How did you know?"

The Seeker's smirk widened, a slight glimmer in her eyes making her appear younger than Varric had first judged. "We have our ways, just as you have yours."

He crossed one leg over the other, placing the book of Hawke's tale on the side of the chair. "I can only tell you what I heard from her, Seeker. So the details may or may not be true, depending on whether she was telling me the truth."

The woman waved her hand mockingly in the air. "I'll take it."

He folded his hands together and rose his head up slightly, thinking back to the memory of the one called Jezebel.

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><p>The year was 9:28 Dragon Age. The place, was the western coast of Seheron, near the small city of Alam. The sun was setting early that day, masking all of Seheron in a glow of defiance. The scorching heat was dulled slightly when the ball of fire began to sleep. A shadow was out of place among the trees that lined the beach. The shadow moved with the wind and rocked with the trees, but nothing seemed to cast the strange dark entity. Another shadow soon joined the first, seeming to slip among it with the first strong gust of wind that carried the smell of the salty water. "Forgive me, dux Mois, but the other men are starting to get tiresome of all this waiting. Are you certain that the ship is to arrive today?" The first shadow did not startle from the out of turn speaking. Instead, the shadow seemed to sink more into the long grass that surrounded it.<p>

"Aye, amice. You know my information rarely fails me. All my reports point to a ship that is to dock today on these very shores."

"Dux Mois, what will this ship have on it if I may be so bold?"

The first shadow let out a small chuckle. "Trinkets, amice. Many, many trinkets."

The second shadow shifted uneasily. "What sort of trinkets, dux Mois?"

"Enough to fill our bellies for a year."

"Ah, I see. Dux in fidem meam relinquish vobis.(1)" _I leave my faith in you, my Leader. _

The first shadow chuckled again. "Well, I should hope so, amice." The two shadows sat in silence once again for a moment until the second one moved back to his position along the bushes behind the first shadow. This was a waiting game, one that the shadow grew tired of quickly but remained still like it was made to be there. The dozen other shadows in the bushes remained silent except for an occasional sigh or shifting of position. They still needed some more training but this was a suppose to be an easy job, so the leader trusted their current skill level.

A small smile crept along their leader's face as a ship was spotted on the horizon, looking only as a dark mass with a few slits of white for sails. _Should have changed the sail color if you planned on coming in secrecy._ The leader made a small "tsk" noise, but remained still and vigilant. Her eyes focused on the large vessel, smoothly sailing on the dark water. The half moon reflected off the surface, almost leading the boat to it's destination. The vast amount of stars in the sky made the water sparkle under them. This would have been a perfect scene to paint, if they weren't getting ready for an ambush. A half hour passed before the row boats were emptied and the ship began to be pulled in by at least six men, three for each rope. So that was six so far, to their dozen. The lead shadow was calculating their tactics and estimating how many more men were aboard the grand ship. The answer soon became clear as the docking board was plopped onto the plush sand of the Seheron beach.

No more henchmen appeared, instead a tall, graceful man stepped onto the edge of the boat. The shadows eyes darkened as it realized what it was up against. None of their reports had given them this information. It was simply to be a cargo ship full of trinkets to bring to a winter home. What came off that ship was a surprise to both the leader and their underlings.

A magister.

If the leader could have stiffened anymore, she just did. The leader's eyes narrowed as they took in the man striding off the ship. His face looked caved in from old age but his eyes stayed strong and vigilant. A gray beard masked his chin and gray hair mopped his head. The magister's robes were dark, with few traces of red lines swirling along his chest for a hint of color. He stopped at the edge of the ship seeming to take in the scenery before him.

The shadow's eyes did not stray long on the tall eloquent being, but shifted to a slim man striding at his heels. His white hair glistened in the moonlight just like his strange tattoos. His armor was a crisp black and spiked along the edges and his gauntlets were like wolf claws. It made him appear frightening, yet beautiful. The leader did not know why she just thought this of someone who they were going to fight against. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep from the past few nights as they planned the heist. She believed this was a clever tactic, clearly an image that the magister wanted to make him appear as. The shadow was unsure if the man was a companion or brought their by force, until she saw his ears. They were long and pointed, he was an elf.

A few things clicked in the leader's mind at that moment-

1. The ship must have had valuables aboard it if it transported a magister.

2. They could easily defeat the henchmen with their numbers.

3. The magister looked powerful so they were going to have to be extra careful dealing with him.

4. The elf was a slave, and a very strong looking one at that.

She was unsure if they were able to take on the slave if it came down to single combat, but with their numbers they had the advantage. The magister brought so little henchmen because he was too sure that they would face no trouble, or the elf was the real trouble. In any situation, they always took extreme caution. One of the rules was to never underestimate the target. Especially by appearance. She had to wonder if the magister had others hiding among the ship. This would be highly illogical considering the size of the vessel. By the time any more men were able to come out, the fighting would be over. The shadow tossed all thoughts of doubt from her mind and let out a small fox call. The call was one that was used by the fox to warn other's that this was their territory, a mix between a small dog barking, and a hawk screeching. The call was not uncommon in these parts, so when it was heard one of the henchmen mumbled something about stupid foxes.

But this was their signal.

It was time to strike.

The shadows moved silently through the bushes to the edge of the forest. Each one raised a bow and swiftly knocked an arrow. The leader shadow knocked one as well, but did not pull until she saw a clear line for her target. The magister was not an option for he had wandered back onto the ship, most likely to change out of his heavy robes and was followed by his slave. The shadow picked a different target. A gentle hiss heard before a loud thwack. The man who was relieving himself in a ditch dropped to the ground, an arrow protruding from his unprotected neck line. The other shadows pulled back on their arrows, and several more hissing sounds were heard, but only a few reached their targets. Three more men went down before anyone knew what was happening. The leader made a mental note to push the scouts more in training so they would never miss. The first arrow was always the most important.

An alarmed cry was heard from one of the bodies, calling to the other men to help him. The leader quickly stepped out from her cover, a dark forest green cloak masking all of her features. The leader pulled one of their twin blades from their back and silenced the dying man permanently. "Hey, what are you doing? Where did you come from?" Another man looked at the cloaked figure accusingly and started forward, a small blade in hand. Clearly these men were unprepared. The shadow sighed and mumbled "Cén fáth a bhfuil siad i gcónaí deacair é?(2)" _Why do they always make it difficult? _Before the leader had a chance to respond to the man now running towards them, another arrow was sent flying past their head and into the henchman's eye socket. The shadow looked over to see Keegan, the second shadow, stepping out from the darkness. Normally, the leader did not approve of anyone interfering until another signal was shown, but Keegan had been the leader's most trusted apprentice. She gave a small nod of appreciation, her face still masked by the hood of the cloak.

Keegan stepped carefully to his leader's side searching the darkness as he was taught for the last three years. "I counted five." He mumbled almost incoherently to his leader.

"Really? I counted six."

Keegan heard an amused smile creeping in his leader's lingering words until he finally whispered back. "Bet a round that it was five, dux Mois."

He heard his leader chuckle again softly, "very well, I hope you have enough coin this time, amice." A scuffle was heard beside them and the shadow pushed Keegan backwards and evaded the man who was lunging at them from the side. The henchman clumsily ran past them and stumbled into the white Seheron sand. "Looks like you owe me a round, amice." The shadow strode across the white sand gracefully, still clutching a blade in their right hand. They reached behind them with their left hand and pulled the other blade out while the man attempted to regain his footing. She looked curiously at the man who acted like he had never fought in his life. His armor was a dark tinge of brown with ruined boots and a helmet that was clearly two sizes too big for him as he readjusted it several times. He picked up his dropped sword after fumbling for a few seconds, obviously unable to remember which hand was his dominant one. He appeared slightly confused, but had the look of a killer in his eyes. Much of this may have been a ruse to make the shadow lower her guard. Or maybe he was just a moronic mercenary.

The man regained his balance and stood straight, facing the mysterious shadow. "You're going to pay for what you did to my men you filthy nug humper." A smile spread across the shadow's face, which would have been a nice thing if the henchman would have seen it. Such a pretty sight to behold as your last image before impending death. The rogue shadow quickly disappeared, leaving the henchman looking around in confusion. The shadow appeared from behind the man and flanked him, digging both of her daggers between his shoulder blades. The man let out a cry of pain and quickly succumbed to his weakening legs. "Huh, weird. I would have thought you would have been harder to kill. I swear that you were just pulling one over on me a minute ago. Didn't think anyone could really be that stupid." The rogue shadow took out their blades and put them back in their holsters. The man on the ground was hunched over, struggling for every breath. The shadow pulled out a smaller blade from a concealed location within the cloak. A hand reached out from the green sleeves and grabbed onto the man's greasy hair, the other one held the blade to the man's jugular.

"Who is on the ship?"

"I-I don-"

The shadow pricked his skin with the sharp point of their blade. Blood slowly pooled around the tip. "Who?"

"Please, messere, I swear I don't know."

"Really? Messere? Just a minute ago you were calling me a filthy nug humper. Amusing how people's manners change when they are facing impending death. So you are just protecting and dying for a man you don't know? Which, by the way, you are doing a terrible job at." The shadow's voice was angered but they still spoke with a low hush, which just brought on more intimidation to the man ready to drain himself all over his trousers.

"We were only for appearances. We didn't come prepared for a real fight. I only know a name, messere. Just a name." The blade dug deeper into the man's throat. A fourth inch of the dagger was now covered in the man's flesh and blood.

"And his name is?"

"M-Magister D-D-Danarius, messere. I swear, that's all I know. Please let me go!" The shadow paused for a moment, seeming to consider the statement. With a harsh hissing whisper, the shadow replied, "Ambulabo inter vos nimis mali liceret viventium.(1)" _You are too wicked to walk among the living. _The man gasped as the leader plunged the rest of the dagger into his throat and withdrew quickly. The man slumped over, his blood pouring over the white grains of sand beneath him. "Is féidir leis an Déantóir tú a threorú ar do bháis. (2)"_ May the Maker guide you in your death._

"What is this?" A harsh voice was spoken to the shadow's direction. The leader looked up at the magister, Danarius, who once again stood at the edge of the boat. The leader's suspicions were correct, he appeared to be in a lighter set of robes due to the scorching weather. The elf stood next to his master glaring at the leader and drawing his body length sword. Their suspicions were correct once again, as the shadows eyes landed on the elf's combative stance, the magister was just a harsh voice behind the real threat. The shadow snarled and answered, "Donec mortem.(1)" _This is your death. _The magister hissed at the shadow's use of Arcanum. He did not expect to be attacked by a citizen of the Imperium. Most citizens dared not to defy a magister in such a way, but then he heard them speak again and noticed that the mysterious shadow was not a born citizen of the empire. "Da mihi iam ante erat litora sanguinis tui. Extra numerum es!(1)" _Give up now before I paint the beach with your blood. You are out numbered!_

Danarius smirked. "I will not be spoken to in that way in my own language, especially from a Ferelden dog-lord. Fenris, show this woman and her friends some manners." The leader stepped back in shock from the magister's ability to catch on that she was Ferelden. She had lived so long in the Tevinter Imperium that her accent had nearly faded. Even the keenest of ears had difficultly picking it up.

Fenris' tattoos began to glow a bright blue as the shadow let out another fox call. Eleven more hooded figures phased out of the forest's edge and stood behind their leader. Each figure had a bow raised and an arrow nocked. The leader drew her blades and discarded her cloak. Normally, she would always keep it on but she knew that in a fight like this one, it would only get in the way. Her matching green armor was light as it formed to her body for easier movement. Her brown soft boots over lapped her dark green trousers. The tunic she wore was unique only to her guild. It was a mesh of greens and browns, forming almost a leaf-like pattern that allowed her to shape to her surroundings with ease. A silver chain with a carved leaf in stone hung loosely around her neck. She adjusted the grip of her double edged blades and grounded her feet into the plush sand. It was up to her to keep her men safe while they fired arrows, even though she was the better shot. The elf began to run down the plank, his sword raised to one side with a deadly two-handed grip on it. "Scaoileadh!(2)" _Release! _She shouted to her scouts to fire their arrows at the glowing elf. The elf's speed began to pick up, as if understanding her command he swiftly dodged the incoming arrows. That was the only time the scouts were allowed to fire their arrows. According to their code, this was now a one on one battle. No one must interfere.

The shadow braced herself for impact as the elf grew closer and changed his position to an overhead attack. He used an attack known as Mighty Blow, leaping into the air and crashing down with full force, she brought up her twin blades to parry the attack. One blade held the tip, while the other was locked firmly on the center of the steel. With a grunt of exertion, Fenris, the elf, fought against her blades trying to break the contact as he landed back on his feet. The shadow did a quick side-step, releasing her blades from the contact of steel, and tried to sweep the elf's legs from under him. Fenris expected this and jumped stealthily backwards sliding in the soft sand beneath his feet. He backed up for another charge a few hundred feet away. The shadow charged at him this time with both weapons in hand. Fenris was hesitant to run at her again but with an order from his master, he took off towards her. Sand flew beneath their feet as the gap between them closed. Fenris held his sword straight out, gripping it with both hands on his right side to have a more effective penetration on the lightly armored foe.

The rogue shadow knew she had to think of something quick or she would be charging into her own death. In a desperate attempt, she took out a small, round flask and gripped it as tightly as she could whilst still holding onto the blade in her left hand. Careful not to throw her blade as well, she waited until they were about ten feet apart and quickly evaded, throwing the combustion bomb in her place. With a loud crack, the flask burst open at the elf's feet and set off an explosion, throwing the tattooed elf backwards. Fenris landed on his back and let out a gasp as the air was pushed from him. His tattoos faded from the sudden crash and he attempted to regain his footing. In the stunned and confused state, a side affect from the bomb, he had lost sight of the shadow. He let out a grunt of pain as he felt steel being driven into his back. Turning to slice at his foe, he left himself open for a quick reverse in the rogue's stance as she twisted around and dug her twin blades into his side and stomach.* The sword did not fail to make contact, however, and sliced through the rogue's tunic, cutting into her side. The shadow dug her blades deeper into the elf, causing his sword to slide along her ribs. Her tunic was soaked with blood as the elf let out a grunt of pain, succumbing to his injuries, and fell over after the steel was withdrawn from his skin.

The shadow bent over quickly, exhaling as the pain from the wound climbed up her side, and pressed one of the blades to the elf's throat, making the lyrium veins on his throat light up dully upon contact. "Is féidir leis an Déantóir-(2)" _May the Maker-_ Her prayer was cut short as a blast of fire hit her in the chest, slamming her against a tree. Her companions remained out of the fight up to this point because they knew their leader did not like interference during single combat. For it to be disrupted by the magister was a sign of complete disrespect in their code. The twelve shadows raised their bows back up, aiming at the magister, and nocked arrows. Before any of them drew their arrows, a battle cry was heard behind them.

"Vinek kathas!" Sieze them! (Qunari language- an order to attack or kill.)

Fifteen Qunari warriors charged out of the trees, directly behind the twelve shadows. The leader stood quickly, still clutching her chest where there were faint scorch marks on her tunic. She took out a red vile from her pouch and quickly drank it, feeling some of the pain from her side and her chest numb, while giving orders to her men as they scrambled away from the edge, firing their arrows at the large Ox-Men.

"Unus ex sex regredi tuto procul ignem sagittis! Septem per duodecim sumere ex latere vestro et scapulas quantum potes, sed non nimis vicinas recedere! Utor furta tua ne confusa!(1)" _One through six, retreat to a safe distance and fire your arrows! Seven through twelve, take out your blades and flank them as much as you can, but don't stray too close! Use your tricks to keep them confused! _The leader quickly ran to the elf, avoiding the lightening aimed at the Qunari coming from the magister. She helped him stand and gave him a vile of health poultice. "We are allies for now. Help me kill them and we will continue this when we are through." The elf glared at her but knew she was right. His master would want him to protect him from the Qunari and worry about the shadows later. Fenris drank the poultice and tossed the empty vile on the ground, his tattoos lighting up once more.

Danarius shouted to Fenris to slay the Qunari that was charging towards him. The shadow nodded to Fenris, understanding that they were to not fight along each other's side and took off in the opposite direction. She weaved through the waves of arrows being shot from her companions as well as the ice, fire and lightening spells being cast by the magister. She had chosen a target, the largest and assumed leader of these pack of Ox-Men. The shadow attacked him head on while he was distracted by one of her apprentices. The Qunari was knocked back in surprise but quickly regained his concentration, cutting down the apprentice that fell into him when he stumbled. After slicing him in half with his massive sword, the Qunari focused his attention back on the shadow.

She grimaced at the lightening speed the Qunari killed number eight, but regained her focus on the horned beast. He charged at her quickly and she disappeared once again in a cloud of smoke only to reappear about to flank him. The Qunari was too quick and whipped around, digging his sword into her side while sending her flying. She crashed onto the white sand. Everything started to slow down as she stood up again and grabbed for her dropped blades. She wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline burst or the loss of blood that made this affect, but she took advantage of her enhanced keen perception.

Charging at him this time, the shadow slid on her knees at the last moment and sliced along the Qunari's inner thigh with her right-handed blade, passing between his open legs. The Ox-Man let out a howl in surprise and used his pummel to bash on the shadow's skull as he turned quickly despite the burning sensation between his legs.

The shadow was knocked to the ground, her blades scattered beside her. The Qunari raised his sword, ready to plunge it in her heart. She grasped a vile that fell out of her pouch and quickly broke it into the wound she had made on his inner thigh. She sighed in relief when the liquid was green and the Qunari dropped his sword, clutching his leg in pain.

The debilitating poison seeped quickly in the Qunari, his veins surging forth from his skin. The shadow wasted no time getting back up. Her head wound made her sway, but she picked up one of her blades and managed to gather enough strength to swing it down at the Qunari's neck-line. The Ox-Man, in one last attempt to save him own life, grabbed her arm when she was about to strike and twisted it, using the last strength he could pull together until the poison took full affect. The Qunari hissed to her as he pulled her close, "Shok ebasit hissra. Meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit, aban aqun. Maraas shokra. Anaan esaam Qun."(Qunari language) _Struggle is an illusion. The tide rises, the tide falls, but the sea is changeless. There is nothing to struggle against. Victory is in the Qun._

The shadow let out a yelp of pain as she felt the bones in her right forearm begin to crack. Her arm was released as the Ox-Man fell face down in the dirt. He was still alive, but the poison's affects in such an extreme amount rendered him unconscious. Taking her blade up again in her left hand, she aimed it for the base of the Qunari's skull. She didn't want him coming after her because of this. "Féadfaidh an Qun tú a threorú i do bháis.(2)" May the Qun guide you in your death. With all of her remaining strength, she plunged the blade deep in his neck until she was met with no more resistance. The Qunari's body laid still, blood pouring out of the newly formed wound.

She pulled her blade out and drank another poultice.

All around the shadow the battle was still raging. She heard the clash of steel on steel but her vision was a blur. Her body cried out to sleep from the battles that she had encountered; but she could not. Not until she knew everything would be alright. "Dux Mois!" Number twelve, her favorite apprentice, ran to her. She looked in the direction she heard her friend stop.

"Keegan, you must send help, amice." She struggled to breathe. Pressure had formed in her chest as all her wounds not numbed by the poultice overcame her.

Keegan crouched down next to her, concern ringing in his voice. "No, dux Mois. I will not leave you while you are in this state."

The shadow chuckled and cough, blood leaking out of her mouth. "You must, Keegan. You have to find Lawrence and the other guild members. Send them here. They must finish the job should we fail." Keegan wanted to slap his leader for being more concerned with the job than her own life. Lawrence would kill him as soon as he got there for abandoning her. The rules may state that in a dire circumstance you need to fend for yourself, but Lawrence wouldn't give a damn about the rules if Keegan didn't return with the woman.

"I- I can not, dux Mois. Lawrence, he would-"

"Shhh, Keegan. Lawrence will understand. You need to go now though. You need to leave us to our fate. Hopefully, if you make it back quickly enough, the Maker will smile on us this night."

A pained expression crossed Keegan's face as his leader slumped over in pain. He placed a hand on her shoulder, knowing he had to leave or they may not have a chance of winning at all.

"May the Maker guide your steps." She gave out in one last huff of breath before closing her eyes, accepting the sleep her body craved. Keegan moved his leader's left hand to the charm on her necklace. If she was to die this night, then she would die a leader.

"And yours as well, Jezebel."

Keegan took off, leaving his leader and companions to fight for themselves. On one last look back from the forest line, he saw two men for every one Qunari being cut down. They had three remaining on the field and eleven more Qunari to deal with. No, ten. A flash of blue light struck down one close to the magister, Danarius. The magister seemed to be growing weaker, he would not last much longer. Keegan said a quick prayer to the Maker and disappeared into the forest.

**A/N- *This is actually my favorite flanking technique in the game. It's Backstab followed by Twinblades.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Be warned: Jezebel grew up religious and taught her companions to do the same, so there are verses from the Chant of Light in here. She is slightly devout. Don't worry, she's NOT like Sebastian. This chapter is based around the time Danarius had to abandon Fenris. They will interact more soon so be patient. These things take time! And yes, I did revisions on what I wanted a half elf to look like. Bioware made them look like Golem from LOTR.**

**Arcanum/Latin: (1)**

**Gaelic/Irish: (2)**

**Umbra Et Vulpes(1): The Foxes Shadows**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Love, Desertion and Betrayal**

_"It's alright, Jezzy. It's only a small scrape, no need to worry yourself over something as small as this." A kind woman was soothing a crying child. The woman was dressed in a dark brown dress that concealed everything. Her hair was put up in a bun and had a handkerchief tied to her head to conceal her gray-streaked blonde hair. The child being comforted was a half elf girl in tattered clothing. Her small body held some of the bulk of a human. The only thing that distinguished her elf heritage were the small points of her human sized ears. Her delicate features were soaked with tears. "But Le-Le, I hurt you. I'm a horrible person. No wonder they left me." The girl, about four, let out another sob. The woman sighed and lifted the girl's chin up. The girl's steel-gray eyes glistened as her tears welled up in them. The woman stroked the girl's brown-russet hair out of her face. "Uimh, aoibh an Déantóir nuair a rinne sé tú, mo chroí. (2)" -No, the Maker smiled when he made you, my dear.- The girl smiled to the woman as the scene started to dissolve away._

"Jezebel!" The shadow was being shaken violently from her slumber. Pain started to take over her body once again. It was still dark out, the fight ended just a few hours before. "Jezebel, please. Wake up!" Jezebel let out a groan and opened her eyes. She found herself staring at Keegan and another companion of hers, Lionel.

"Are you still feeling pain, Jezebel?" Lionel, the mage, bent down beside her. Jezebel let out a small moan.

"I'll take that as a yes." Lionel placed his hands over Jezebel and began a small incantation. A blue light emitted from his hands and encased her body. She felt all of her wounds begin to stitch up and the bones in her right arm began to mend and were put back in place. "That should do the trick. How are you feeling now?"

Jezebel sat up, the hood of her cloak fell down revealing her short, boyish haircut that formed around her slightly pointed ears. "Like I was just in three different battles and then sat on by an ogre," she said making the men chuckle.

Keegan held out his hand and pulled Jezebel up. "Where are the reinforcements? And where is that magister and his elf?"

Keegan's smile faded as he glanced over to the forest. "I don't know where the magister went. He was gone by the time I got here. As for the reinforcements…" Keegan's eyes darted downward, a look of anger and sadness meshed on his face.

"What? Did an ogre sit on them too?" Jezebel laughed trying to lighten the mood.

"Ahem, if I may interject." Lionel stepped forward, taking a place next to Keegan. "You may not want to hear what I'm about to say-"

"Well, say it quickly before I fall asleep again." Lionel smirked before his face became stern again. "No reinforcements were ever going to show up. Apparently, Lawrence gave the Qunari information as to where to find you and the magister."

Jezebel took a step towards Lionel, her face seething in anger. "What do you mean he gave them information? He knew there was going to be a magister here? Why would he send me into a death trap and then send-" Realization smacked her in the face. She was betrayed by her own second in command. "Why would he do this?"

Keegan put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He looked her in the eye with a stern expression. "Lawrence has been planning this for months. He managed to gather half of the Umbra Et Vulpes against you secretly. Two-thirds of the remaining Vulpes were cowed into submission during the week our team was gone." Jezebel's throat formed a lump, scared to ask the next question.

But she needed answers. "And the remaining third?"

Keegan released his hand from her shoulder and shook his head sadly. Lionel looked away, focusing his attention to the blood-stained ground. "They were either here with us, or they were immediately killed trying to defend you and your title."

Jezebel fell to the ground in disbelief. The last four years of her life she had worked with her friend, Lawrence, to build up their group Umbra Et Vulpes. She no longer held control over a group that was given her name, Fox. The only thing she had ever been able to keep of her parents was now spoiled by a man she had once called her friend. Lawrence would pay for what he has done. She looked up at the mage, her steel-gray eyes trying to hold back tears. "Lionel, you got away. Are you sure no others survived?" If they did, she may be able to train them all and take on the rest of the Umbra Et Vulpes. It would take a lot to defeat such a big group, but she was confident in her men.

The mage sighed and hung his head low. "I'm sorry, Jezebel. I was the only one. Keegan found me wounded on his way back to camp. I told him the story of what had happened so he wouldn't suffer at the hands of Lawrence."

Jezebel gave a pained look, her eyes filled with sorrow for the men who had fallen. "Then we must remember them." Her hushed voice was tainted by sadness. She straightened on her knees and clasped her hands together in a praying position. The other two men kneeled down as well and formed their hands in the same way.

Jezebel- "Draw your last breath, my friends,"

Keegan- "Cross the Veil and the Fade and all the stars in the sky."

Lionel- "Rest at the Maker's right hand,"

Jezebel- "And be forgiven." (Chant of Light: Canticles of Trials 1:16)

The three remained silent, running all the names of the fallen through their heads, hoping the Maker would hear them. Jezebel began to pray once more, for herself.

"O Maker, hear my cry:

Guide me through the blackest nights

Steel my heart against the temptations of the wicked

Make me to rest in the warmest places.

(Transfiguration 12:1)

My Maker, know my heart

Take from me a life of sorrow

Lift me from a world of pain

Judge me worthy of Your endless pride

(Transfiguration 12:2)

My Creator, judge me whole:

Find me well within Your grace

Touch me with fire that I be cleansed

Tell me I have sung to Your approval"

(Transfiguration 12:3)

And all at once they chanted in reference to those that deceived them-

"Those who bear false witness

And work to deceive others, know this:

There is but one Truth.

All things are known to our Maker

And He shall judge their lies."

(Transfigurations 1:3)

The three stood and looked at each other knowingly. They were going to have to move quickly to escape their former brethren. The three searched the bodies of the fallen Qunari and reluctantly, their own men. They took all the supplies from the bodies as well as about seventy silvers. Keegan came off the boat, a sack full of supplies from the kitchen and another one full of the golden trinkets that were left upon the boat in haste. Jezebel took out a map and flattened it against the back of a dead Qunari soldier.

"We're going to have to split up. Lawrence knows these trails as well as I do. Since neither Keegan's or my body will be here, he will know that we survived. The shadows will be our best friends, but I can't risk us all in the same place. If one of us do get caught-Pray to the Maker that we don't- then I don't want to risk all of us." Keegan nodded understanding the plan. Lionel shrugged, his eyes concentrating on where she was pointing. Jezebel knew that the shadows would be their best allies and it would be easier to weave in and out of cover if they were to take separate paths instead of forming a massive moving shadow.

She gave out instructions to Lionel and Keegan for which path they were going to take. Jezebel gave them the routes with the most cover, while she took the one with the more thinned out forest. Her skills in adapting were not superior to those of her brethren, more so she would rather take the fall than them. They decided on a meeting place, about a two day trip from where they were if they moved carefully enough and never strayed off the path. From there, they would figure out where to go next. Pleased with her work, Jezebel folded up the map and tucked it into a pouch on her waist. She looked at her brethren, knowing that it may just be the last time she sees them.

Keegan wrapped his arms around her tightly, his brown stubble tickling her cheek. "You be safe, Jezebel. I will see you when this is over." Jezebel nodded and said the same to him.

They released their embrace and Jezebel made her way over to Lionel. "Lionel."

"Jezebel." They smiled at each other and clasped one another's arms firmly. "Don't make me hunt you down, fearless leader."

Jezebel let out a small laugh. "I hardly think I'm a leader anymore, but same goes to you, Lionel." They gave a small nod to each other and let go of one another. "Maker be with you both, and may an arrow never cross your path on this journey."

The two men smiled and said at the same time, "You too." The words that were spoken did not matter as they turned their backs, it was the feeling behind them. But none of them didn't want to say what they were all thinking. Maker be willing, they would all survive their journey.

* * *

><p>The sea was silent except for the lapping of the waves against the shore and the sides of a cargo ship. Three men stood on the shore in front of the lazily places plank meant for boarding the ship. Dim torches on the boat lightly silhouetted the three men as they continued an argument that had been taking place for nearly an hour.<p>

"What do you mean I can't take him with me?" Danarius was arguing with the captain of the ship. Well, more of he was yelling at him while the captain rolled his eyes.

"I've explained this, messere. Several times in fact. There is only room for one more body upon that ship. I don't care how tiny he is. I don't even care if you allow us to stuff him in a cabinet. Either you leave him behind, or I'll leave you both behind." The magister growled fiercely at the man, obvious that he was used to getting his way. Fenris stood a few feet behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground until his master needed him.

"I refuse to leave my pet behind. You know how valuable he is? He's worth more than your whole rotting ship is!"

The captain was taken aback when his ship was insulted and turned around. He waved his hand dismissingly and trudged forward. "Fine then, stay here with your slave while I sail away in my 'cheap rotting ship'. Have fun getting eaten by the Qunari." Danarius' eyes filled with rage for the choice he had to make. He wasn't staying on that damn island any longer than he had to. When the next ship in Minrathous was bound for Seheron, he would come and get his pet wolf back.

"Wait."

The ship captain turned around, a smirk on his face. "Change your mind, messere? Do you think my ship is pretty now?"

Danarius scowled and gave the man a small coin purse. "That should be enough for me." He unwillingly boarded the ship and stood behind the railing. Fenris looked up to where his master was when he heard the captain calling orders to his crew. He saw the sails being opened and the plank for a bridge being pulled up. A dozen oars on one side facing the beach started pushing the boat out to sea. He looked back at Danarius and saw a miserably shocked expression on his face in utter disbelief that this was actually happening. It was priceless. Fenris was perplexed on what to do now. He was just abandoned, on an island, by himself. So, he did the only thing he could think of, he turned around and walked into the forest of Seheron.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- A bit of a time jump. This chapter starts out with what happened when Danarius came back for Fenris. Everyone has their different versions of how it went down, but this is mine. I try to wrap up what is going on in Seheron. The next chapter will be based in Kirkwall after Hawke meets Fenris.**

**-The battle with the Qunari is quick considering Fenris is experienced when fighting them. If you haven't guessed already, he killed all the remaining Qunari at the beach scene during chapter 1. Also, these Qunari happen to be unarmed.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Run, Wolf, Run**

Fenris was sitting on a log, tending to the fire. The Fog Warrior's had graciously saved him a month beforehand when he was found past out in the forest from malnutrition. As a slave, he was never taught how to survive if he were ever lost in the forest. That would give the slaves too many options and slaves didn't deserve such luxuries. He had never known free-will until he had met these rebel giants. They were kind and spoke freely to one another. He had learned their ways quickly and appreciated such raw freedom that he had never experienced before.

This all changed quickly when a man and a few hired mercenaries were spotted walking towards the camp. "Keokuk, there is a tall bas coming into our territory."

Keokuk walked out of the tall animal skin tent. "Friend or foe?"

The Fog Warrior that had given the warning clutched tightly onto his weapon, looking back at the forest and then back to his leader again. "It is a bas saarebas."

Keokuk looked over to Fenris. "The same one who called you his slave?"

Fenris nodded knowing that his time with the warriors was at an end. Danarius said that he would return for him. He was foolish to think otherwise.

"It is likely so." Fenris cringed at the thought of his former master coming to reclaim his lost property. Danarius reached the small clearing and a wicked smile crept across his face. Four mercenaries, two on each side, stood slightly behind him. The Fog Warrior's gathered around Fenris as he stood to approach his master.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me." Danarius took a few daring steps forward, gesturing to Fenris.

Keokuk walked towards the magister, stopping just a few feet in front of him. "He belongs to no one. He is free of your command."

Danarius cringed. "Well, we will just have to see about that." Danarius peered around the large warrior and looked at Fenris. He stared narrowly at him and lowered his voice to a commanding bark, one that you would use on a bad dog. "Fenris, enough of these games. Come to your master. Your play time is over." Fenris hung his head, knowing that he was a fool to think he was free of his master. He stepped out of the circle of warriors encasing him and walked slowly towards his master.

The leader of the Fog Warrior's turned to him, a sad concerned look in his eyes. "You do not have to follow his orders anymore. We will defend you if you choose to fight against him." Fenris didn't speak, just kept walking to his master. He was unworthy to speak to such noble people. He stopped at his master's side and continued looking at his feet.

"We will deal with your behavior with these," Danarius gestured to the group in front of them, "… barbarians later, my little wolf. But there is still one thing I want you to do for me."

Fenris looked up at his master, a stern expression hid his wave of emotions that were crashing into him. "Yes, master?"

Danarius smiled at his wolf's retained training. He was always so loyal to him and would do whatever it was he asked with no hesitation. Danarius nodded his head to the camp. "Kill them."

Fenris drew the long sword on his back, one that the Fog Warriors had given him after a week of staying with them. Keokuk ran back towards his men to retrieve the sword he had left by the fire. Fenris charged at the group of ten warriors who were caught off guard by the sudden order. He swung his sword in an arc towards five of the warriors, his blade penetrating the flesh of their stomachs. They were cut down quick as the swords blade dug far enough in to slice open their guts. The blade was specially formed by the Fog Warriors to fight against the Qunari, so the thickness and possible penetration amount were remarkable.

This left five more, including the Fog Warrior leader. The were all unarmed, their weapons in a tent at the opposite end of the camp, except for Keokuk. Two went after the magister, managing to grab nearby hunting weapons. They fell the mercenaries quickly and turned to attack Danarius. Danarius spoke a small incantation, slicing his wrist to summon power and fired a lightening bolt at one of the warriors. Before he had a chance to put up a shield, the other warrior cut deep into his arm with a curved hunting knife. Danarius let out a cry of pain and attempted to summon another spell which was cut short by another slash of the short blade to his side. He fell to the ground but quickly summoned an ice spell, using the blood for more power, freezing the warrior with his blade inches away from the magister's neck.

The remaining two warriors charged after Fenris, attempting to pin him down or to grab his wrist to disarm him. Their attempts were all in vain. He was too quick for the large, sluggish men who were mainly brute strength. He phased in and out of sight, flanking his former friends and severing several limbs. Fenris ran his sword through the second to last Fog Warrior's stomach. He dared not look at his face while he did so. He didn't want to know who it was. Perhaps it was the healer, or the gatherer that told the odd jokes. Maybe it was the man he frequently hunted with for food; Or the one who taught him how to cook simple meals from scraps. All he knew is that they were gone now. Gone, because of him. Fenris withdrew his sword from the limp body of his former friend. A voice rang behind him.

"We can still make this right, Fenris. You do not have to continue his orders. You can still stop now and I will forgive you for this."

Fenris turned around and saw Keokuk. The man held his curved sword down at his side; a sign that he was willing to fight, but he didn't want to. Fenris stayed silent. There was nothing to say to this man who had been so kind to him. He was unworthy of staying with him if he chose to go against his master. The only choice he had was to kill him and hope for a mercy beating from Danarius. Fenris did not voice his opinions, instead his tattoos glowed brighter as he ran at Keokuk.

The warrior leader cringed as he threw up his sword to block the overhead attack. He knew he wouldn't be able to kill him. He had just witnessed him slay seven of his men with no hesitation. Keokuk lifted his right leg and pushed his foot hard into the elf's stomach, throwing him back. But he would still give him a fight. It was not his way to give in. Keokuk charged forward, slamming his shoulder into the stumbling elf. Hopefully, he would be able to knock him out and be able to get him out of there before the hunched over magister was any the wiser.

Fenris slammed into the ground, his breath knocked out of him. He stood back up, staggering slightly, clutching onto his sword. The two men stared each other down, circling, daring the other to make the next strike. Fenris faked a strike to the left and caught Keokuk off guard as he switched grip of his long sword to strike from the other direction. The blade pierced the rebel leader's side and blood flung off the steel of Fenris' blade. Keokuk, despite the amount of pain he was in, brought up his sword with one hand to parry the elf's second strike. His body crippled under the two handed force of the elf as his other arm clutched his side to stop the blood flow. In a moment of panic he grabbed his sword with his blood soaked hand to add more defensive strength.

His hand was too wet from the blood and Keokuk quickly found himself on his knees as his hand began slipping; he was struggling against the weight of the crossed swords. Keokuk felt a foot on his chest and was slammed to the ground under the tiny body of the slave. Fenris' right fist glowed brightly as his hand fazed within the Fog Warrior's chest. Keokuk gasped a the sudden pressure in his upper chest. He looked up to see a raging expression on the elf's face. In a last attempt to get through to him, he spoke. "Fenris," he coughs blood, "you are not a slave." Fenris' eyes softened as he crushed Keokuk's heart. He pulled his hand out of his friend's chest and looked around.

Bodies lined the once peaceful camp. Limbs and blood were scattered along the fire's edge. At the edge of the forest, one body was still smoking from the powerful lightening bolt fired at it previously. His master stayed hunched over, clutching his arm next to a frozen warrior. He heard a small laugh. "Good, little wolf. Now come here and help your master." Fenris froze. He couldn't- he wouldn't- No. Keokuk's dying words imprinted themselves on his mind. He turned his back to his master and ran into the dense forest. "Fenris? FENRIS?" His former master's words were muffled by the forest, and soon they were just a distant cry as the glowing elf ran for his freedom.

* * *

><p>Jezebel sat on a stump, skinning a recently killed rabbit. The three had made it to the other side of the island near the capital city Seheron, where the Umbra Et Vulpes held no control. At that moment, Jezebel was glad she had not signed those contracts to replace the mercenaries that had once covered this part of Seheron. If she had, they would have no place to run. A few weeks before they had tried to buy passage to any ship out of Seheron, but because of the recent attack on a certain ship, no ships were bound out or in for safety. The last ship left a few hours after the battle was over so even if they were aware of it, they didn't have time to get to it when Jezebel finally came to.<p>

She wondered if the elf and his master boarded the ship since she noticed their bodies were not among the many corpses they had searched. It didn't matter, the trinkets they stole gave them five sovereigns each in their pockets so they would be more nourished than they were if they came across them again. Jezebel looked up from her fully skinned hare and watched Lionel poke at the fire and Keegan getting a pot ready for a stew. When she found them after two days, they were heavily injured. Keegan explained how their paths crossed when they were going through the forest and a band of Qunari attacked them. They had barely stumbled out of it alive, but luckily Lionel had a few lyrium potions and a vast skill in healing so he was able to patch them up enough that they wouldn't die from blood loss on their half day remaining trip.

Jezebel didn't encounter any fighting, but she was almost caught when one of the scouting parties from the Umbra Et Vulpes walked along her path. A twig cracked under her foot, but luckily she obeyed the rule of standing still if you think you are spotted. The scouting party shrugged off the noise and continued on their way. She still remembered the sense of panic she had when one of them seemed to be looking directly at her. He saw what he wanted to see, which was nothing.

Jezebel looked back down at her rabbit and took her small knife, cutting the meat off the bone and into small cubes. The knife had been given to her by her an Antivan assassin doing a job in Tevinter. The assassin had been assigned to kill a nobleman in Vyrantium, her home city. Their meeting had been an accident. At the time, Jezebel was fourteen and had been taking mercenary jobs to help pay for the poor shack her, Lawrence and three other people shared. One of the jobs was to kill a nobleman who had swindled her employer out of a payment. When she arrived at the man's house, it turned out that the whole thing was a set up and she was ambushed by another mercenary team. The blonde haired assassin had swooped down just in time to help her as she was attempting to hold off the ten men by herself. They killed the remaining guards and found the nobleman cowering in the closet of his gaudy bedroom. She let the assassin take care of him and as a thanks for letting him finish of his Crows contract, he gave her one of his knives. It wasn't expensive or finely decorated, but it was solid and barely ever had to be sharpened. It was a small gesture at the time, but she always remembered it whenever she used the knife.

Keegan poured a small amount of oil into the pot, just enough to cover the surface, and placed it the fire. The fire rose around the pot, heating the oil quickly. Jezebel tossed the meat into the oil and it began to sizzle. Lionel pulled out potatoes and random vegetables they had found around their camp. He began cutting them into small chunks, placing them on a slab of wood for later.

Just as the meat was done and water was to be added to the pot, a loud crash was heard by the three companions a hundred feet from the entrance of their camp. They picked up their weapons silently and crept towards the forest opening. A muffled curse was spoken and the brushing noise against the leaves and bushes told that it was just one man, scrambling to their feet. Jezebel held up her hand signaling them to stay where they were. She pulled the hood of her cloak to mask her face and stepped into the opening.

She slid in and out of cover, stepping carefully around and over twigs and leaves. After a few minutes she stood behind a tree in the area the noise came from. A man with white hair, black armor, a sword that was as big as he was and… pointed ears… sat on a rock rubbing his wounded head. She noticed he may have slipped on a wet rock from the stream behind him and hit his head on the boulder he was then sitting upon. Jezebel drew her bow, always strung, silently and knocked an arrow as she stepped into the small clearing.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded of the elf. Jezebel recognized him as the same elf she encountered just a month before.

The elf stood up and drew his sword. "I could ask the same from you."

Jezebel darted her eyes, sweeping the surrounding area. "Where is your master?"

The elf let out a hiss and lowered his sword, obviously too weak for a confrontation. "My _former_ master is probably crawling back to Minrathous." His words were filled with a venomous hate when reflecting on his experience just a few days before. Jezebel lowered her bow but kept her arrow nocked. She didn't want to be unprepared in case this turned another direction. He was speaking with her instead of brutally attacking, which was an improvement from the first time they met.

"So you escaped?"

"Yes."

"How?"

The elf narrowed his eyes at her an exhausted look still covering his features. "Is it not enough that I did?"

Jezebel sighed, this was going to be a longer day than she had anticipated. "So what does this make us?"

He raised her eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?" Jezebel rolled her eyes. Oh how she loved when people answered questions with questions.

"I mean, just a month ago we were at each other's throats. You may not remember me, but I was the one who almost killed you than allied with you when the Qunari attacked. So, now that we are in this predicament and you freed from your master as you claim, are we friend or foe?"

The elf thought for a moment. He was in a desperate situation and this mysterious cloaked woman was his only chance out of it. He needed her, no matter their relationship before. "I will not call you friend, but I will be civil with you unless you prove to be untrustworthy."

Jezebel nodded and slid her bow on her back and her arrow into the carrier next to it. "Then, I suppose we're on a name basis now. I'm Jezebel Fox." The elf nodded and placed his sword in the holsters on his back.

"Fenris."

* * *

><p>The walk back was silent. There was unresolved tension between the two but they had to deal with it. Jezebel needed him in case they were discovered. Her win back at the beach was a fluke due to her dirty fighting because she noticed how many Qunari Fenris was able to take down on his own while she fell prey to one. Granted, he was the leader, but she still felt a little insignificant to the elf's raw power.<p>

"So what was the-" Keegan stopped short and drew his bow quickly, nocking an arrow. "Jezebel, what is he doing here?"

Lionel stood as well, gripping his staff in case he was needed.

"Lower your bow before I do it for you." Fenris growled, his tattoos flashing at the sudden threat.

"Fenris, Keegan. Keegan, Fenris." She looked between the two men gesturing for them to calm down. "Fenris is no longer with Danarius. He is no longer a threat until I say he is." Keegan lowered his bow, noticing the slight anger in Jezebel's voice. He placed his hand on his head and pulled at the tuft of brown hair on top of it.

"Well then, I suppose I won't kill you until you give me a reason to. But this doesn't mean I'll lower my guard any."

"Expect the same from me as well." Fenris spat the words out at Keegan. The two men exchanged a short, sharp nod and Keegan we back to preparing the stew. The vegetables and water were already simmering, he just needed to make sure nothing burned at the bottom.

Jezebel motioned for Fenris to join them around the fire as they waited for their early dinner to be done. The elf's stomach growled as he smelled the aroma of the stew but he made no point of saying how hungry he was. He had been living off of whatever small animal he managed to catch for the last few days. When he wasn't running or eating, he took short half hour sleeping breaks to make sure he got as far away from his wounded master as possible.

"I'm Lionel, by the way." The mage waved his hand so Fenris would acknowledge his presence as he sat down. Fenris' eyes lingered on the man then darted to his staff.

"You're a mage?" Fenris let out a huff as Lionel smirked. "What manner of mage are you? Do you seek power to instill fear among your enemies? Glory? Money?"

Lionel's face went blank considering the words. His brown hair hung in his brown eyes, covering the devious spark in them. Out of nowhere he let out a cackle, "oh yes! I am an almighty healer! Fear my wrath of reviving spells! I will torture you with mended wounds and regained energy! Mwhahaha!"

Fenris rolled his eyes. "I hadn't realized that I was in the company of not only a mage, but a terrible jester. Joke if you must, but I will be watching you."

Lionel smiled and winked his left eye. "I'll be counting on it." Fenris let out a small scowl and turned his attention back to the fire.

Jezebel leaned closer to him, "don't mind Lionel. He's…a bit off his rocker."

"He sounds Orlesian. Why is he not in the circle?"

"He was with a band of apostates being transported into slavery back in Vyrantium about four years ago. My former companion, Lawrence and I, he was 20 at the time and I was 15, gathered some of our friends together and raided their camp. Turns out half of the mages were slavers pretending to be captive to trick people into thinking their numbers were less than they really were. In the end, Lionel was the only one that survived besides my friends so we took him along. I don't know how he got to Tevinter from Orlais, I never bothered asking, but we were always glad to have him along."

Fenris looked at Jezebel curiously. "You were, and are, quite young to be putting yourself in such danger, especially for a mage."

Jezebel glared at him, her expression firm since she no longer had her hood covering her eyes. "I did what I had to do. I've survived this long without holding anyone's hand as well as keeping over one hundred men under my command. I believe I'm due some credit and not just thought of as a little girl."

Fenris snarled and Jezebel went to go get more firewood as an excuse to get away from the conversation. Keegan had been listening intently and glanced to him from across the bubbling pot. "Jezebel may be young, but we all are. Lawrence is the oldest one out of all of us. The Umbra Et Vulpes were formed to give a haven to runaways and orphans that wanted to live by our code. We deny no one, no matter how old, a chance to prove themselves. If the person is too young, however, then they are put to a task that they are capable of, such as tending to camp."

Fenris glanced at the rogue, unwilling to respond to Keegan's butting in.

* * *

><p>They ate their meal after another hour of waiting. The sun was starting to set. There were no more lengths of conversations due to the uneasy atmosphere of the camp caused by their new companion. A watch schedule was set up so Keegan would take first watch by himself for a three hour time. Second watch would be taken by Jezebel and Fenris, since Lionel's fear that Fenris may fall asleep due to his exhaustion but relented in any attempts for a healing. Third watch would be taken over by Lionel and he would wake everyone when the sun started to rise. Everyone laid their heads down on their bedrolls, not bothering with tents because the night sky was clear, and quickly passed out.<p>

Jezebel was woken up with a gently shake.

"You and the elf's turn."

Jezebel groaned wearily and sat up rubbing her eyes. She stood up to allow Keegan to take her bedroll and walked over to another edge of the camp where Fenris was sleeping. She tapped him with the toe of her boot, that she didn't bother to take off. She gasped when he whipped around and grabbed onto her foot, dropping her to the ground. "What in the Maker's name was that for?"

Fenris mumbled something about touching him in his sleep and let go of her foot.

Jezebel handed Fenris a spare cloak to conceal his hair when they moved to the hidden area that Keegan had come from. They crouched down on their stomachs and scanned the area keeping their ears open for any odd sounds. Suddenly, Fenris spoke in a barely audible whisper. "I apologize for earlier, Fox. I was not aware that I may have caused some offense to you. Your age just caught me by surprise." Jezebel placed her forehead against the cool surface of the rock and let out a sigh.

She replied in the same inaudible whisper. "It's not your fault, Fenris. You had no way of knowing that I was sensitive about my age."

Fenris let out a small grunt. "What is Umbra Et Vulpes? And why do you allow children to fight?"

Jezebel turned her head slightly towards him. Keegan had informed her that he had spoken a little about the guild. "Umbra Et Vulpes is a group that Lawrence and I formed about three years ago. We do a large variety of work from smuggling to assassinations. Before we accept any contract however, we must know all the information about it. We will not kill men simply because it pays well, there must be a just reason behind it. As for the children… well, we took in runaways and orphans initially because they were eager to join. Soon, that's what the guild was made out of. No one is allowed to go on jobs or accept contracts until they are fifteen or until they have proven they are up to par on their weapon skills. So, we never really let children fight if you think about it. We just give them a chance they may never have gotten." Jezebel saw the shadow next to her nod and a low grunt was followed.

"Where is the rest of your guild?"

"Lawrence happened. He decided he was more fit to run the guild and turned it against me. The night those Qunari attacked was a set up. Right now we're being hunted just as much as you are. I have a question for you though, what is with your tattoos? I have some myself but none that quite, how do I say this- glow?"

Fenris let out a chuckle. "You sure know how to hold a conversation to a single topic. They are made out of lyrium from a ritual my former master performed on me against my will. They give me certain abilities that you may see if it comes to it."

"Well, they certainly look nicer than the ones I have. I'd much rather have swirls and curvy lines than a picture of a cat on my bum."

Fenris smothered a small laugh. "Danarius used to have me poor wine for his guests. He enjoyed the way my appearance intimated them."

Jezebel made a small "Tsk" sound and shrugged slightly. "Really now? Well then, you can serve me wine anytime you wish. Of course you shouldn't give your hopes up about me being intimidated about your appearance. I really can't imagine why they were put off in the first place." Jezebel heard another muffled laugh, followed by a concealed cough. Fenris was about to respond when they heard rustling in the trees. Jezebel's eyes scanned over the scenery until they caught a movement. A shadow. Jezebel looked at Fenris and saw that he had concluded the same thing. Her eyes roamed over the camp. She let out a sigh of relief seeing the forced calm breathing pattern on her companions. They were awake.

Fenris and Jezebel silently slid off the rock and drew their weapons. Jezebel could tell this was going to be a close up battle so she unsheathed her twin blades. They crept to the corner of the camp and scanned it once again. Two shadows dropped out of the trees and an arrow shot into Jezebel's shoulder. She let out a gasp and broke off the end, leaving the tip in to deal with later. Keegan sat up quickly, drawing his bow and arrow that he slept with and shot in the direction the first arrow came from. He heard a thud and a cry of pain. Jezebel and Fenris stepped out into the clearing while Keegan and Lionel stood up. There were two of them, one now if Keegan hit his target right. The four stood back to back in the center of the camp, watching for any movement. A shadow flashed past them slow enough for Fenris to swipe his sword at it but fast enough that it only scratched his back. As the shadow stumbled due to the sudden pain on their back, Keegan released two arrows. One arrow landed in the shadow's right shoulder blade and the other landed in the middle of his spine. Not killing shots, but crippling ones. Another shot was heard from their left and landed in Keegan's side. As he pulled out the arrow, Lionel mumbled a quick healing spell to close up the wound.

"Come out you coward!" Jezebel was tired of this game. She wanted to face them right then and there. Two shadows stepped out of the forest, one with a broken off arrow in their leg as they limped from the pain.

The uninjured shadow spoke, "Jezebel, Lawrence is only doing what he believes is right. Why can't you see that and die peacefully?"

Jezebel scoffed. "So killing innocent Vulpes is right? No. I don't know how you found us but you're not going to be able to report back to Lawrence any time soon." Jezebel charged at the wounded shadow first, Fenris following behind her. He distracted the wounded shadow by faking attacks from the front while Jezebel went around and flanked him from the back.

"Behind you!" Fenris heard the warning cry from Lionel and quickly spun around to find himself just in time to parry two blades about to flank him.

The wounded man was about to retaliate against Jezebel's blows until an arrow dug itself into his skull. The rules didn't apply anymore. Jezebel gave a silent nod to Keegan and went to help Fenris by slashing the shadow's side making him cripple off to one side. Fenris swiped out his legs with his sword and shoved his foot down on his chest with his blade tip in the man's face. "Do you wish to finish him off?" Jezebel nodded and bent over the man. He struggled against the weight of the elf's foot only to find him being crushed more. "Don't worry, if I have my way, you will see Lawrence soon. Is féidir leis an Déantóir tú a threorú ar do bháis." Jezebel drew her small knife from her boot and dragged it against the man's throat. His struggling and breathing ceased. Jezebel and Fenris walked back to the center of the camp to join the others. She looked over at the shadow with two arrows in his back and didn't see any signs of life. She shrugged and looked back to the others.

"What do we do now? We can't stay here any longer. It would be like throwing a huge party where all the guests are trying to kill us." Lionel looked to his long time friend.

"We have to leave Seheron. Keegan, you went to the market today, when does the next boat leave?" Jezebel packed her blades away and waited for an answer.

Keegan looked up at the position of the moon calculating the time. "The closet one leave in about an hour and a half. It's a cargo ship. I have already spoken with the harbormaster just in case we needed to leave and he said that there is only room for one."

"Then Jezebel should go." Lionel looked around at the group hoping for approval.

"No."

Lionel and Keegan looked at their friend in surprise. "If anyone should go it's Fenris. We can spare the passage money for him and he needs to get out of Seheron more than we do. All we face is death, he is faced with enslavement."

Fenris looked at Jezebel in complete shock. "Are you sure about this, Fox?"

Jezebel cringed at the use of her last name but quickly discarded the expression. "Yes, I'm sure. We can wait for the next boat. Where is it headed, Keegan?"

"Neromenian. It's on the coast of the Nocen Sea. It should be about a weeks journey. From there, all you have to do is stay covered until you get to the Minanter River which borders the Free Marches. If you're going to Antiva, than you have to go across The Hundred Pillars. I'll give you a map before you set off and mark it so you have a vague idea of your choices." They agreed on the plan, get Fenris out first and hope there is another ship on the way.

* * *

><p>Jezebel paid the ship captain and gave the remaining pouch of money to Fenris. He tried to refuse at first but she claimed they had enough as it was, which wasn't entirely true. The ship captain slipped Fenris on board, promising to hide him whenever a ship with Minrathous sails came into view. Jezebel looked at Fenris and shook his hand firmly. "Promise me one thing, Fenris."<p>

"If it is possible."

"Live like a free man would. No. Live better than a free man would." Fenris' mouth twitched into a smile as he turned and boarded the ship. As the plank for the ship was rising, four cloaked shadows ambushed Jezebel, Keegan and Lionel. Fenris was about to jump off the ship to help until he heard Jezebel shout for him to stay and they could fend for themselves. The ship captain ordered him to go below deck for his own safety until he said otherwise and Fenris hesitated before following the order.

Jezebel faced the four new foes, drawing her blades. When Keegan saw Fenris go below deck, he and Lionel grabbed Jezebel and pinned her on the ground. She struggled to get free screaming at them for being traitors. One of the four men knelt in front of her and held out a staff. He mumbled and incantation for a sleeping spell and Jezebel passed out. "Do you think she will forgive us?" One of the shadow men asked Lionel as they carried her body to another part of the beach.

"She will in time. The most important thing is that she lives." Lionel looked at Keegan a puzzled expression on his face. "How did you know she wouldn't take the passage on the ship even before the elf showed up?"

Keegan grimaced as they loaded her body onto a rowboat destined for a larger ship already at sea. "Because of something she told me once. She wanted me to make sure the job was done instead of making sure she lived. I knew that she would never abandon us if it meant we would come in harms way for aiding her. She cares about our safety too much, someone needs to care for hers." The four shadows and Lionel nodded as Keegan paid the rower. They six men said a small prayer as they pushed the boat into the ocean.

One of the shadowed men spoke up after a few minutes, "Where is our leader headed?" Keegan looked over at the man, him and his three companions were away on another job when everything with Lawrence went down. Keegan had found them in the market the same day he made the deal with the harbormaster.

"Rialto." Lionel looked at his friend, shocked.

"Antiva?" Keegan nodded his head and waved the other men to follow him as he walked off the beach. The sun began rising behind them silhouetting the two ships that contained two people running for their lives, bound for opposite ends of Thedas.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- I'm going to be skipping around in quests because not all of them are extremely important or need to be elaborated on. All members have been recruited to the party except the OC.**

**Arcanum/Latin: (1)**

**Gaelic/Irish: (2)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Hawke, Fox and Wolf**

***Year- 9:31 Dragon; Place- Kirkwall***

"So, Hawke, I've been running through the numbers and we have enough gold to start the expedition." Varric ran his hand through his hair, staring at a pile of papers with what looked like chicken scratches on them. Hawke, Isabela, Anders, Fenris and Merrill sat around a white stone table in the dwarf's room. The Hanged Man was particularly loud that night as a bard from Orlais sat in the corner downstairs, singing to the tavern.

Hawke looked up from his conversation with the table and grinned foolishly. "Welllllllla, thasts fan…won…good."

Varric chuckled at his grizzly of a friend who went back to resting his head on the table. They had been drinking in celebration since getting the reward from the Viscount for "rescuing" his son from the Winters. Which had been about four hours ago.

Merrill perked up and looked across the table. "Is there something wrong with Hawke? Or did he develop a love for tables recently?" The group laughed, all except Fenris who was currently avoiding getting rubbed up against by the pirate.

Isabela pulled away from Fenris and leaned in towards Merrill. "No sweetheart, Hawke is just adjusting to the spinning of the room. Besides, this table has no holes in it. You can't fall in love with anything that doesn't have any holes."

Varric chuckled, swirling his untouched pint around. "Rivaini, you're going to scar the poor girl!"

"What?" Merrill looked around in confusion. "Did I miss something dirty again?"

"Don't worry about it, Daisy. But anyway. Back on subject then. So, anyone volunteering for the Deep Roads? I know it's still two weeks away but I'm sure Hawke will want the information as soon as he wakes up from his nap." It was true, everyone looked over at Hawke to find him laying in a puddle of his drool, snoring lightly.

Anders shook his head. "I'm not going. No way I'm stepping foot into that blighted hole again."

Varric turned his attention to the mage. "Oh come on, Blondie! It will be fun! Just think about it, will you?"

"I've already thought about it and the answer is still no."

"Bah," Varric waved his hand dismissingly to the spirit infested mage, "you're just a spoil sport. Apparently Justice doesn't like to have any fun."

Anders glared at the dwarf and crossed his arms. A smug look overtook his features. "This has nothing to do with Justice. Besides, how is going through a dark tunnel infested with darkspawn fun?"

"Just think of it as an adventure, Blondie!"

Anders opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a drunken Hawke mumbling blasphemies about being "adventurers" now.

Merrill sat straight, fingering her glass of water, waiting for a point where she was able to interject. The dwarf smiled at the Dalish elf and held his head in his hand while gesturing the other one for her to speak up.

"Yes, Daisy?"

Merrill looked down at her hands, picking the imaginary dirt from her finger nails. "Well, Varric, I was just thinking that I could come along."

Before anyone could say anything, Fenris let out a bark of laughter that caught everyone by surprise. "That's just what we need. A blood mage in the deep roads."Isabela put her hand on top of Merrill's, attempting to soothe the sulking mage. "Oh, Kitten. I don't think it's a good idea for you to go. The Dalish aren't very adapt to living without sunlight for weeks.""Besides, you might wilt down there."Merrill shot a curse look at Varric, "I'm not a flower, Varric!"

The dwarf shrugged and turned his attention back to his forms. Varric didn't bother asking Isabela since he already knew that she wanted this break from "adventuring" to fix her vision on the world. Which in her world meant getting drunk until everything looked like she was underwater.

"I'll go."

Varric looked up from his paperwork that he had resumed to find the Angsty Tevinter Elf looking at him. If he would have said that while the dwarf was playing with his ale, he probably would have spilled it all over his papers.

"You want to go?"

Fenris shrugged. He was only volunteering as part of his debt with Hawke.

Varric sighed, folding one of the papers and placing it in a package. "Why not? We will need a whack and basher."

"A- a whack and basher?" Fenris brought his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Yeah, you know, someone who just runs through and starts hacking people. To keep them off mine and Hawke's backs while we do our 'stay as far away from these crazy tainted creatures' thing."

Fenris nodded and said a simple "I see." He resumed nursing his mug as the dwarf rambled on.

"We still need one more person. It can't be Aveline since she needs to stay here for her training. Looks like we have to bring Carver."

Hawke woke with a start at the mention of his brother's name. "Absolutely not! I'd rather take my chances with just three people that having two crazy whack and bashers on our team!"

Varric looked at him questionably. "We're you awake this entire time?"

Hawke stretched and leaned back in his wooden chair. "Of course I was. I was just pretending to be extremely drunk and asleep so people would stop asking me a million questions."

Anders, Isabela and Varric looked at each other but it was Merrill that spoke up. "You faked the drool then too?" They all laughed, even the elf had a smirk on his face, as Hawke flushed in embarrassment.

* * *

><p>An unnatural shadow formed on the walls of a house in Lowtown. The shadow moved along the dark edges of the buildings. She heard a burst of laughter spawn from a nearby tavern as the door slammed open. More drunks. She continued past the tavern, still hearing the loud voices striding behind her. <em>Asal Andraste ar! (2- Andraste's ass!) Of course the drunken morons had to be going the same way I am. <em>Truth be told, the only reason she was going this way was because she got a tip that there was suppose to be an ambush waiting for her along the same path that she was following. She wanted to surprise them first, but she had to get away from this group or she would be discovered. She ducked next to a staircase, cringing, as when she did so one of the men was telling a story about a dwarf he used to know screaming the words "Asschabs" and passing out. And of course, he had to scream it as loudly as he could.

She listened as the group grew closer, hoping that they would pass by her hiding place.

"I'm sorry Hawke, but your Uncle's house smells like rotten cabbages."

"I know, Varric, that's why I'm going to hold my breath when I run in their real quickly to show you guys my new plaything."

"Oh sweetheart, you could show me your new plaything any time you wanted."

"Isabela!" The dwarf attempted to muffle the laughter in his voice.

"What? You were thinking it too."

A dimwitted female stopped in her tracks from confusion. "Thinking what?"

"Never you mind, Daisy."

The shadow scowled as the group stopped in front of the house that she was hiding next to. She heard one of them start walking up the stairs and stop suddenly.

"You hear that?"

"Venhedis! It's an ambush!"

The shadow stood in shock for a moment as she recognized the last voice but quickly shook it off and jumped out of her cover as thirteen other cloaked figures appeared. She tossed her hood off to show the group that they were on the same side as she nocked an arrow, firing it at one of the men on another staircase and pinning him to the wall. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she noticed all the members of the drunken party were armed and not as drunk as she thought. A few seconds distraction was too long however as she looked back in front of her, seeing a shadow speeding towards her. She dropped her bow and took out her twin blades. She ran towards the man and hit him with an explosive strike, jumping up and slicing him with both blades in a full 360. The man fell to his death, but not by her. She looked down to see a bolt in the man's head and noticed a dwarf reloading his crossbow. _Apparently, we are on the same side after all._

The shadow bolted over to a male mage who was being attacked by close range. The mage was obviously not the aggressive kind, since moments before she had seen him healing a scantily dressed woman who took an arrow to the thigh. The mage was knocking the man with his staff. A very ineffective weapon. _Maker, I wish I didn't drop my bow. _She tossed one of her blades into the man's side before ramming into him at full force. The mage was caught by surprise by the sudden small figure defending him and almost forgot to cast a healing spell on another male mage. She ripped the blood stained blade from the man's rib cage and swiftly cut his throat, turning her attention back to the scene at hand.

The rest of the cloaked figures fell at the hands of the male mage with help from paralyzing incantations from a small elven girl. The last of the men was about to be cut down by a tall elf-

"STOP!"

The tattooed elf halted abruptly, about to sever the man's head from his neck. She walked over to the two of them, the elf holding his gaze on the kneeling man until she took the cloaked figure by the collar and slammed him to the ground. The others gathered around her, the tattooed elf wearing a shocked expression. But her focus was on the man before her. "Where is he?"

The man's eyes widened at his former leader. "I-I don't know. We came here on a hunch, honest-"

"LIAR! I know that this ambush was set up for me. Where is that bastard?"

"H-he's n-not here, dux Mois-"

Jezebel inched her face closer to his, staring him down hard and attempting to contain her anger. Her voice was a low bark, sending shivers down the spine of the man she had once called her friend. "Don't. Call. Me. That. I stopped being that when you turned against me. If he's not here then why did you come? How did you know that I was going to be here?"

The man grew wide eyed, his body shaking from fear. "A-an informant told us. They said they saw you traveling on the Wounded Coast a week ago. W-we weren't sure if you would still be here when we got here yesterday, s-so we waited."

She studied his eyes closely. Sweat dripped down the man's forehead. His face grew pale as the time and tension increased. Finally, Jezebel pulled back a little, allowing more room between them but still held a fierce grip on his collar. He was telling the truth. Now she had another problem standing in front of her. Whether or not to let him live.

"I have a proposition for you then, Tevan."

"Any thing, dux- I mean, Jezebel."

"Go back the Lawrence and report that you found nothing here. Claim that you just missed me."

"W-what about all my men? How can I explain everyone being dead but me?"

"Say that you were ambushed by some Lowtown thugs. You were the only survivor."

"L-Lawrence w-would never believe th-that." Her grip on the Tevan's collar tightened. In one swift movement that was barely seen by the man or the group behind her, she had a blade to his neck, drawing blood.

"You will make him believe it or I'll change the story to 'there were no survivors'. Got it?" The man nodded quickly, showing that he understood. Jezebel released his collar and he scrambled to get up.

"One question, Jezebel." Tevan had already began walking towards the docks when he stopped to look at his former leader.

Jezebel sighed and glanced over at the man. "Yes?"

Tevan hesitated, unsure if he wanted to say what he was thinking. He shifted, looking around skeptically, until he gathered up his courage. "If you care nothing of us anymore, if you hate us as much as you say you do, if you hate Lawrence as much as you say you do…."Jezebel's hand twitched impatiently. She placed two fingers on her temples and let out an exasperated sigh. "Get on with it."

"Then why do you still wear it?" Tevan exited Lowtown before Jezebel even had a chance to register his statement. She turned away from the exit, her hand ghosting over her cloak and then to the middle of her chest. She fingered the object lightly before shoving it back inside her tunic.

Jezebel turned to the party as the bearded male mage began to speak. "Just a guess, but this ambush was for you?"

Jezebel smirked at the brown haired man. "Oh, so perceptive. Yes, it was. I apologize. I didn't mean to drag you all into this. You sort of just... stumbled into a trap meant for me."

The dwarf stepped forward, smiling. "That's alright, this sort of thing seems to happen to us a lot." Jezebel chuckled at the blonde haired dwarf.

The pirate grabbed her attention when she groaned. "Yeah, but this totally killed my buzz. I think we need to go get more drinks. On you."

Jezebel raised an eyebrow at the pirate and the mage let out a small laugh. "Isabela, I think introductions are in order first." He looked at Jezebel with blue eyes. His nose looked like it had a permanent blood stain on it. His hair was untended but complimented his features well with a scruffy beard. "The name's Garrett Hawke. Or just Hawke for short."

The tiny female elf stepped forward giggling and jumping excitedly. "Oh! My turn! I'm Merrill."

Jezebel inclined her head to the powderpuff elf and looked at the mage she had helped during the fighting.

The mage stepped forward and held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Anders, and I suppose I should thank you for saving my ass back there."

Jezebel smirked and touched his hand lightly on the tips of his fingers before quickly pulling away. "Yes, you should." Anders looked skeptically at her and shrugged, pulling his hand away.

The pirate woman bowed sarcastically and introduced herself. "I'm Isabela, previously Captain Isabela." Jezebel bowed back clumsily, mocking her attempt at being formal.

"I wasn't aware that someone could be 'previously Captain'."

Varric coughed, bringing the attention back to him. "I'm Varric," he pointed to the tattooed elf, " and this is our broody Tevinter elf-"

"Fenris?" Jezebel shook her head in disbelief. She had thought she heard his voice while she was under the stairs. She even thought she saw him about to kill Tevan, but she didn't believe it to be real. It wasn't an odd occurrence for her to picture people of her past and hearing them as if they were there.

Fenris stepped forward, utter disbelief in his eyes. "Fox?"

Hawke raised his eyebrow looking at the two. "I'm assuming you two know each other?"

Jezebel nodded, unknowingly grasping the object that she had so quickly hid a few moments before through her cloak as she stared at the elf. "Yes, we do. It's good to see that you made it alright."

Fenris coughed, clearing his throat. "Yes, well, the coin you gave me before I left helped quite a bit the first few months."

Isabela groaned again to bring the attention back to her. "Well this is nice and all, but now that we're all a big happy family... Can we go back to the Hanged Man now?"

Hawke nodded starting to turn back in the direction they came from. "Yes. I actually forgot why we came out here."

Merrill looked over at Hawke. "I thought it was to get- Ow!"

Isabela nudged Merrill lightly and whispered to her, "Hush, Kitten. Booze. That's all that matters right now."

Fenris rolled his eyes and began walked with the rest of the group. "That's what always matters to you, pirate."

Isabela laughed, "Not always. There is sex after all. And loot! Speaking of loot-"

Varric ran back to the group after checking the dead men. "Already did it. They have some nice stuff for thugs. Hey, Fox girl, you're going to have to tell me about them."

Hawke paused and turned back to the still figure. "You coming, or what?"

Jezebel smiled. "Only if I have to pay for just one round." Hawke laughed and gestured for her to join their little merry band of misfits.

"Well, this is going to make for an interesting story." Varric had a look of embellishment in his eyes.

Hawke eyed him curiously. "What could you possibly mean, Varric? We do this sort of thing all the time."

Varric shook his head. "No, no, Hawke. I meant the fact that we have a hawk, a wolf and now a fox. We're a regular pack of wild animals!"

Jezebel and the other's laughed as they opened the door to the Hanged Man.

* * *

><p>The group sat around the table in the Hanged Man. Varric decided he didn't want so many sweaty bodies spoiling the aroma of vomit and stale piss of his room so they took a table at the back of the tavern. The environment had calmed down a bit more from the rowdy crowd that infested the walls earlier that day. The bard was singing new tales of the Hero of Ferelden, describing the many battles against the darkspawn and ended with the royal wedding of Cousland and Therin. Hawke asked the dwarf to order them a round, on Jezebel's new tab of course, to which she let out a small groan in annoyance as she sat down in a chair against the wall. Isabela sat on her left and Fenris on her right, claiming he liked the corner chair. Hawke grabbed the seat across from her and was joined by Anders and Varric, who sat at the end of the table with his back to the fireplace on the other wall. Merrill wasn't present, claiming she needed to get home before her twine trail was stolen by urchins again.<p>

Norah, the barmaid, skillfully carried all four mugs, a glass of water and a flask of wine for Fenris. Behind her was a uniformed battering ram of a woman, holding a glass of water. She maneuvered around the barmaid as she sat down at the table. She was greeted warmly by the group, all except Isabela and Jezebel.

Fox, as she was now referred to by the group despite her protests, took a large swig of the swill and gagged on the taste. "What in the Maker's name is this crap?"

Varric and Hawke laughed at the scowl on her face as she pushed the mug away.

"That would be the exquisite drink of this high class bar." Hawke took a long gulp of his drink and raised his hand up for a refill. "Don't worry, Fox, you will get used to the taste." Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Varric pouring a bit of his ale into Isabela's glass before mocking a sip.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to the taste of darkspawn piss." Fox twisted her face in disgust and waited for Norah to come back to their table. Anders laughed, choking on his water. Justice didn't like him drinking so whenever the gang got together for drinks he was always the designated mage. Isabela had many failed attempts on trying to get him to have at least one drink but he always refused saying he didn't like the loss of control over himself. He was secretly afraid that if he drank he wouldn't be able to control Justice. The thought of letting him come out terrified him but he would never say it out loud, claiming that he could control it.

"Why do you think I only have water? I have better brandy at the barracks." The red haired woman spoke to Jezebel. The women eyed each other cautiously, wary of one another's presence.

Jezebel inclined her head, mentally studying the woman's statement. "Barracks? As in…"

Aveline gave the assassin a hard look, knowing where this was going. "As in the guards." Jezebel and Aveline stared each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. Aveline's hand moved off of the table, no doubt touching the hilt of a concealed blade. Jezebel felt the outline of her boot, which was laying on her leg from her current sitting position. She fingered the opening of the slot where she kept her dagger, her eyes never straying from the guard.

Hawke, Varric and Fenris looked between the two women, sensing that something terrible was occurring in their minds. Isabela either didn't notice, or was too busy being amazed that her mug never seemed to end as Varric kept secretly pouring his ale into Isabela's mug.

Hawke cleared his throat, attempting to bring the attention to him. "Is there a problem?"

Aveline's hand strayed back onto the table and she tilted her head slightly. "No problem here, Hawke. Just two girls getting to know one another. Isn't that right- what was it? Fox?"

Fox nodded, placing her hand back up on the table as well. She clicked her tongue and smiled lightly at the woman. "Exactly so." Hawke sighed as the issue was dropped for now. Aveline was a difficult woman to get anything past, especially if it were the history of the mysterious woman that was sitting across from her. Aveline trusted no one right off, it was just her way of protecting her friends seeing as they were the only family that she had. And what a family they were.

A flask was pushed in front of Fox from her right and she looked over to see Fenris staring at her. "Try it and see if you like it. It's not the best but at least it has some other flavor that piss and rat droppings."

Fox nodded her thanks and eyed the flask warily. She didn't want to take another large swig because she really didn't feel like tossing her innards that night. Picking up the wine with a small doubt, she turned the flask around to the opposite side Fenris was drinking from. She had always been cautious when it came to sharing drinks ever since she took a sip from someone's glass, who insisted her to try the rum, back in Antiva. She had come down with a fever and was bedridden for a week and a half before she was finally able to keep something down. Fox took a small sip of the wine, letting the flavors play on her tongue. It wasn't as good as the magically enhanced wine of Tevinter or the carefully prepared stock of Antiva, but it was better than what she had drank. The wine left behind a small piney taste when she swallowed it, suggesting that it was kept in a wooden barrel rather than traditional glasses. Fox gave the flask back to Fenris, who took a large mouthful of the wine, and nodded her appreciation. When Norah arrived at the table again, Fenris took the liberty of ordering her the wine.

Isabela grabbed Fox's original drink when the wine arrived and finished it off for her. Several conversations had been going on at this point. One she particularly found interesting was between Hawke and Varric about an ogre that Hawke had apparently faced while on his journey to Kirkwall. Fox had been looking at the notes Varric was writing and she let out a small chuckle as she saw that he put down "and he ripped the ogre's arms off with his bare hands, then slapped the giant beast repeatedly with one of it's own massive arms…" Varric caught Fox looking at his notes and gave her a curious look, quickly putting a fresh sheet of paper on top of his notes. His quill stayed inked in his hand as a spark flashed in his eyes. "So, Fox, what's your story?"

This perked Aveline's interest as she straightened up in her seat. "Yes, _Fox, _what is your story?"

Fox leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest after finishing her flask. Norah quickly refilled her wine and she nodded her thanks.

"What makes you think that I have a story?"

"Come on, Fox. Everyone has a story."

Fox shrugged and drank about a forth of the flask before placing it back on the wooden table. She eyed the wine and her voice cracked under the pressure. "No. There is no story, Varric. None that you are allowed to make a glamorous tale out of."

The dwarf put down his quill and leaned on the table towards her. A look of determination crossed his face. The others found themselves hunched over the table as well, wanting to know the tale of the woman who they had met only a hour before. "Then I won't write one. Not yet anyway."

Hawke interjected then. "If we are going to help you, Fox, then we have to know what happened to you and why these men want to kill you."

Fox looked over at Hawke, a bit taken aback by his statement. "Help me? What would make you think I needed help?"

Hawke chuckled and took a swig from his mug. "That battle back there suggests that you need some help and I'm just offering it."

Fox pressed her lips in a fine line. No one ever wanted to help another for free. "And what exactly would I have to give you in return for this 'service'?"

Hawke glanced over at Varric and nodded, the dwarf smiled at the silent agreement. "A service for a service. We provide you with the numbers to allow you to fight on more even terms and you provide us with a fourth person to go on an expedition to the Deep Roads."

"Hawke! You can't be serious! We don't even know this woman." Aveline was growing impatient with Hawke's helpful attitude and she was ready to have it known.

"I agree with the guard." Jezebel was shocked at her own words, but she just couldn't stand the thought of being underground. "For the sake of the Maker, why do you want to go down to the blighted Deep Roads?"

Isabela grinned at Fox, the flush of her face from the alcohol all too evident. "For profit of course, deary. It's the universal reason for anyone doing anything!" The pirate got too excited and threw her arms up, causing her to fall backwards, the chair crashing to the floor with her.

"Oh for the love of- get up wench!" Aveline yanked Isabela's arm to pull her up. The pirate mumbled a 'thanks' and straightened out her chair before plopping back down in it.

Jezebel groaned, "Alright, alright. I agree to your terms but after the expedition is done I get to choose whether or not I stay, correct?"

Hawke nodded his head, trying to hide his foolish grin. "Of course."

Varric cleared his throat and the eyes of the table turned back to him. "But we will need to hear that story first."

Jezebel cursed under her breath. She had hoped that the previous conversation had been forgotten. Anders saw the hesitation on her face as her shoulders tightened. "I'm sure that we have just as much of a crazy of a past as you do."

Fenris' head snapped up at the mages voice. "Crazy? Sure. If you call being an abomination just crazy."

Anders was about to retort with a comment about how he can rip out people's hearts until Isabela slammed her empty mug on the table. "Alright, as much as I want to see these two men go at it- I believe we were just about to hear what I'm sure will be a juicy story." Anders and Fenris scowled and turned their attention back to the half-elf woman who was looking at them curiously through her hands. She swept her gloved hands through her short brown hair and sighed.

"Alright. Where do you want me to start?"

Varric grinned, the spark back in his eyes. "At the beginning." Fox let out a small huff and raised an eyebrow at the dwarf.

"I'm pretty sure you already know how babies are born, Varric."

The table chuckled and the dwarf rolled his eyes at the woman. "You know what I mean."

"Not sure if I do."

"Alright, fine. How did you meet Fenris then?" Fox sighed and looked over to the elf. He was eyeing her curiously, wondering if she was going to give all the details that he remembered. He know that he told her about the Fog Warriors in an attempt at the camp to try to break the tension that he had caused all those years ago. Back then she merely nodded her head, like she does so often, and continued sharpening her blades. She had not judged him back then, or she did and just didn't care to speak of it to him. A silent agreement had formed then, she would not give the details of his escape except for the part when she had given up her own passage on the ship so he could leave. Those were his to tell when he felt ready.

"I can do that." Fox told the group about how she and her group were going to raid a ship which turned out to be a magister's. She gave the details of her and Fenris' battle and quickly explained, when the group looked at Fenris in shock, that his almost death was a fluke caused by his malnutrition at the time. If he was in a healthier state, he would have had more of a fighting chance. Fox saw the gears in Varric's mind turning when she described her short win over the Qunari pack leader to which she then passed out only to be woken up with a tale of how her former friend and second in command had betrayed her. Fox had given very little details about Umbra Et Vulpes, despite Isabela, Aveline, Hawke and Varric's prying.

Fox described how in the month before they were reunited with Fenris that Keegan, Lionel and her had encountered several small groups of Qunari and Vulpes which they took down or somehow evaded, brushing over all the gory details and near death experiences. Then went to describe her meeting Fenris and their attack the following night. Her eyes went dark when she went into detail about how later Keegan and Lionel had set up an ambush when Fenris boarded a boat to force her out of the country.

"But, they did it for your own good… didn't they?" Anders had been listening intently to the story like the others and had been occasionally glancing over to Fenris when she talked about him.

Jezebel sighed and finished off her fifth flask, a blush had formed on her cheeks from her current intoxication. "I believe that is what they thought they were doing. Of course, they had no idea of the extent of what would happen in Antiva." Fenris was about to ask, curious to know what had happened to her after all these years but caught a glance from Fox to not bother. "But that is a story for another time."

Varric nodded and thanked her for sharing. Hawke, who had stopped drinking when she began her story, was the least intoxicated out of all of them and thought about their current predicament. Isabela got up and hunted for company that evening. Anders mumbled something about needed to go back to the clinic and said goodbye. Aveline nodded her head goodnight, since she had morning rounds. She shot a quick glance filled with both suspicion and concern to Jezebel before heading off. It wasn't until Isabela had snagged herself a toy for the night that Hawke spoke up.

"Question."

"Answer."

Hawke rolled his eyes at Fox and brushed the comment aside. "Where exactly are you going to be sleeping? You don't have enough coin on you to rent a room here and all my money is going towards the expedition."

Fox nodded, understanding. "Well, I hadn't thought about it yet-"

"She can stay with me." Varric knocked over his bottle of ink that he was reaching for in surprise. Hawke almost fell off his bench seat and Fox looked at Fenris like he just asked a Desire Demon to tea.

"Fenris, I don't want to impose on you-"

She was cut short again when he raised his flush face, caused by the alcohol, and looked at her determined. "You helped me all those years ago. If it wasn't for me then you wouldn't have been ambushed and shipped off to Antiva. I owe you, Fox."

She nodded again, not wanting to start an argument about how it wasn't his fault, and stood up with him. "Fine, but it's only going to be for a little while. I promise that I will move out as soon as I am able."

"Of course." The two said their goodnights as Hawke stayed a little while longer with the beardless dwarf.

The walk to Hightown had been quiet, except for the occasional cough or the clunking of a guards armor as they went on their patrol. Jezebel glanced over her shoulder a few times whenever she had heard the guards, an old habit which she would need to get rid of.

When they reached Fenris' "home" he unlocked the door and guided her in. The house matched Fenris' personality. Stable on the outside, but a total wreck within. The wallpaper was either scorched, peeling off or covered in what Fox assumed to be bloodstains mixed with wine. A few floorboards were missing and there was an inch of grime stuck to them in some places. Statues were toppled over and paintings were torn off the walls leaving a light square where they once stood. The ceiling was three stories high though it was only a two story mansion. Most of the bodies were cleaned up but there was a foul stench of death mixed with a tint smell of blood. "I apologize, it's in poor condit-"

"It's beautiful."

Fenris turned to look at her, seeing her face glow as her eyes roamed the mansion in amazement. He noticed then that she had aged very little over the past few years. Her face was thinned out and her hair was a little longer, still shorter than his as it curved around her slightly pointed ears, but she still looked like she could be no more than seventeen. It brought a sort of innocence to her that Fenris found he appreciated. She caught him staring at her and he looked away quickly and coughed. "Um, yes. I suppose it does have it's charms." Fox smiled as Fenris led her up to the second floor. "My room is there in the middle. If you wish I can bring the mattress into your room," he pointed to the door on the left, "and I will sleep on the extra blankets that are here.

Fox quickly shook her head and refused the idea of him giving up the mattress for her. "I still have my bedroll in my pack. That should be sufficient until I find other arrangements. Thank you for the offer though." She grinned at him cheekily and he found himself twitching as a small smile crept across his face.

"Very well. If that is what you wish. Good night, I'll see you in the morning. Hawke usually wants us to meet up at the Hanged man a few hours after sunrise to discuss the plans for the day."

Fox nodded as Fenris turned to walk into his room. She grabbed his arm quickly and he glowed at the sudden contact but restrained his temptation to swing around and knock her to the floor. Fox noticed his body stiffen at the contact and lightened her touch.

"Thank you, Fenris." She released his arm and went to the room he had designated as hers. He stood in shock for a moment, his hand hovering over the spot on his other arm that he touched. Shaking his head to release himself from the daze that he was put in, he continued walking into his room and closed the door silently behind him.

"This is going to be something I regret, I just know it." He sighed to himself, pulling off his armor and crawling into his small bed in the corner of the room. In the room next to him, Jezebel was smiling as she changed out of her armor and unraveled her bed roll.

"This is going to be an interesting experience." She placed her bedroll against the right side of the wall, unknowingly right where Fenris had his bed, leaving only a thin wall to separate them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**A Haunted Past**

_Jezebel was in the class room by herself. She was sitting on the window pane observing all the children laughing and playing. They were kicking rocks around and some held sticks from the Venadhal tree, pretending to be great warriors and fighting each other for the hand of a beautiful maiden. She was suppose to be studying, learning the Chant of Light to become one of the few eleven chanters when she got older. This was not something that was forced upon her, but she chose it after one of their rare outings from the Elven Alienage Orphan's Home into the marketplace of Denerim. _

_The image faded to a younger Jezebel and her seeing a large, glorious building surrounded by a stone wall. Outside the stone wall an old woman was speaking though it appeared none of the vast amount of people that passed her were listening. Some even mocked her, but she did not falter once in reciting the chant. Lecile, her guardian at the orphanage, caught her staring at the chanter. She looked down at the small child and smiled. "Do you want to hear it?" _

_"Yes, Le-Le!" Jezebel let go of Lecile's hand and ran towards the chanter._

_Fire. Blood. Screaming of innocents children and women. The kind images of the chanter soon faded and were replaced by a knight standing over her. His once silver armor was now drenched in blood. All around her the children that she had seen playing outside laid dead. Their bodies were sprawled across the floor, their faces still held the look of fear upon them. She heard another woman screaming across the room and dared to look over. The knight pushed the woman down on her knees, lifted up his sword and struck her down. Her head rolled over to Jezebel and she screamed in fear. Looking back up at the knight that loomed over her, she began to cry, knowing her fate. The slits of the helmet showed the knight's eyes going cold and dead. He was about to cut her down. She let out another shrill as the knight was bashed over the head with a wooden chair. The knight smashed to the floor, unconscious. The woman, Jezebel noticed, was Lecile. She grabbed the heavy broadsword from the man and held it with a great amount of effort. Holding out her other hand, she beckoned for Jezebel to come with her. She wiped her tears from her eyes and took her guardian's hand._

_They ran through the orphanage, slamming through doors and running past carnage. They ran through the second to last door into a small room, hoping they hadn't been seen so far. Lecile sighed gratefully when they saw the back door was unguarded. She forced a smile on her face and tugged the girl towards the door. "We made it, Jezzy. We're going to be alright now." Lecile dropped the sword and reached for the door handle only to see blood dripping down her hand. She looked behind her to see a knight with a crossbow standing in the doorway. Her upper arm had a bolt go straight through it. Lecile let go of Jezebel's hand and dropped to her knees as another bolt dug itself into her back. Jezebel tried to scream but nothing came out. Lecile fell face first onto the bloodstained floor._

_Jezebel crouched down and grabbed the woman's hand. "Le-le?" _

_The woman's eyes drifted wearily to the little girl. Her voice shook as she tried to speak, her voice barely making a whisper. "Run Jezzy. Run until you can't run anymore. Be free, live as a free woman does. No, live better than a free woman does." _

_Jezebel felt her face go hot as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Is féidir leis an Déantóir tú a threorú ar do bháis, Lecile.(2)" -May the Maker guide you in your death, Lecile.- The woman smiled at the words spoken in her home language and she drifted off into a sleep deeper than she had ever known. Jezebel heard the steps of the knight grow closer. She looked up to see him reloading his crossbow. In a panic, she had almost forgot the door was right behind her. Almost. As the knight finished reloading, she grabbed the handle; he shot a bolt towards her._

* * *

><p>Fox screamed and sprang up as she awoke drenched in sweat. She looked around the dark room trying to remember where she was. Kirkwall. Ambush. Hanged Man. Hawke, Varric, Isabela, Anders, Merrill, Fenris. Fenris. She was still in Fenris' mansion. She sighed in relief and slumped back down onto her makeshift pillow. The door slammed open and she jolted up again to find herself staring at a glowing elf. His glow faded as he saw the woman sitting on her bedroll. Fenris put down his sword and rubbed his temples. "I…I apologize. I heard screaming so I just assumed…"<p>

"No, it's alright. I'm sorry I startled you. I was just having a dream, that's all. Thank you for your concern though."

Fenris shifted and she assumed he was nodding his head. The room was now too dark since his lyrium marks had fully faded. "Do you scream in your sleep often?"

Fox was unsure whether she heard concern in his voice or pity. Either one she was used to. She had been kicked out of a lot of bars because of her screaming in the middle of the night. It "disturbed" the other tenants. "I really wouldn't know. But judging by the amount of inns I have been kicked out of for it, I would think it was probably a few times a month. If it really bothers you, I could leave if you wish." She stood up, ready to pack her bag back up like she normally had to.

She stopped when she heard Fenris suddenly burst out. "NO!" She was taken aback by his raised voice. "I mean… No. Well, I won't force you to stay here but you are welcome to. I should… apologize for charging in like that."

Fox raised her eyebrow, though Fenris couldn't see it. "It's alright. It's not everyday I get a handsome elf walking into my room." _Why did I say that? What made me say that? You're going to scare him away. _To Fox's surprise, she heard him chuckle softly. Knowing that she hadn't offended him, she continued. "I should actually apologize for waking you up."

"No, no. I was already awake. I don't sleep very much and I'm used to being up earlier than everyone else."

Fox shuffled her feet a bit awkwardly. _Of course you are used to it. You use to be a slave._ "Well then, I suppose since we're both up now we can get some breakfast. Does that sound good to you?"

"Um, you see, I don't have any food in the house. I normally grab something small from one of the vendors like a piece of bread or fruit when I'm walking to the Hanged Man in the morning."

"Well you're in luck. I happen to have some food in my pack from yesterday. I thought I was leaving the city after the ambush so I'm stocked up for about two weeks. Well, a week with both of us. Maybe less because the food I have was meant to be rationed carefully…. I mean… I'll make us something to eat if you just point me to a fireplace."

She heard Fenris step out of the room and believed he meant for her to follow him. She grabbed her supply pack and slipped her feet into her boots. Fox didn't understand how Fenris could walk around with no shoes on, the floorboards in the house were freezing. Fox went out into the hallway to see a dim light shining from Fenris' room. The floorboards creaked under her weight and a shiver was sent down her spine every time she put her foot down. She wasn't used to making this much noise. The soft boots made it easier to walk anywhere quietly but the house was so much in shambles she was sure every board that lined the floor made some sort of noise. Fox reached the door and pushed it open, scrunching up with the hinges made the same loud noise.

"I hope this is sufficient. I have some pots and pans in here that I scavenged from the remains of the kitchen. I wash them frequently so they should be good enough."

Fox nodded setting her supplies next to a across from Fenris chair before taking a seat in it. She took out a few potatoes, four eggs and slices of fresh meat wrapped in paper. She was going to dry out the meat for her travels but she figured she didn't need to do it anymore.

Fox looked up at Fenris who was eyeing her supplies. "Are you sure you want to use these?"

"Of course I'm sure. I haven't had a good breakfast in ages so this is going to be quite the treat. Now, hmm." She looked around in her pack before letting out an accomplished "Aha!" Fox pulled out a small loaf of bread, still soft as it was baked just the day before and quickly wrapped in a slightly damp cloth. Fenris stood up and pulled a small table in front of her, to which she gave her thanks as he cleaned it off and they placed the supplies on the table. She picked up the knife and looked at Fenris. He was eyeing one of the items suspiciously. "Can I help you?"

Fenris pointed down at the item and looked up at her. "What… is that?"

Fox let out a small laugh and smiled at him. "That," she pointed, "would be a potato." Fenris shook his head in disbelief.

"No, potatoes are small soft white things. That is neither small nor white." He gripped the sides of the vegetable. "And it certainly isn't soft."

Fox raised her eyebrow and took the potato from him. She grabbed her knife from the slot in her boot and ran it along the sides of the vegetable. The skin peeled off in a swirl. When she was done peeling it, she placed it back on the table and started cutting it into half inch cubes. "You mean like that?"

Fenris picked up one of the pieces, testing it's firmness by squeezing it gently. "It's still too hard."

Fox shook her head and grabbed a pan from the pile next to the fire. Looking through her pack she found a small amount of oil and spread it over the surface of the pan. Fox scooped the cut potato up and put it into the pan. "We have to cook it. There are a lot of different ways to cook a potato. They were the easiest food to get in Vyrantium so Lawrence and I experimented quite a bit in the preparation so we would at least have some variance. I'll show you them all at some point, but for now we're going to cook them in oil. This gives them a crisp exterior and a soft interior. Also, they go great with breakfast."

Fenris' nodded his head slowly, understanding a little. He was a bodyguard, not a kitchen slave. He only knew how to cook and skin animals for their meat from his survival in Seheron. Fox placed the pan on a rack just above the flames of the fire. Fenris sat their staring at every move she made, completely fascinated on how she did everything. He made himself believe that he was staring at her simply to learn, nothing more. She certainly wasn't the most attractive woman he had ever seen. In fact, she looked a bit boyish the way her hair was cut and her small physic made it so she could pass for a boy if she wrapped her breasts down and wore a bit of bulky clothing to hide her curves. Though he couldn't deny that something was intriguing about this woman. She was a wave of emotions, quick to anger on some occasions, a remorseless killer and had a troubling background; Yet she somehow retained her innocence. She was confusing to him, one moment she was nice, another she was an ill tempered woman who would give anyone a tongue lashing. Confusing but… still intriguing.

She attentively turned the potatoes, making sure they didn't burn. When they were all done she put them in a bowl off to the side and let them cool. Fox used the leftover oil to fry up the meat. While she did so she showed Fenris how to cut the bread into slices without tearing it. After the meat was done she placed it on the bread and made over easy eggs which she placed on the meat and topped with another slice of bread. Fox created two sandwiches like this and put them on plates with a side of the now warm potatoes. "There." She smiled handing the plate to Fenris.

"You didn't have to go through this much trouble, Fox."

"Yes I did. I'm showing my appreciation."

"By stuffing me with food?"

"Yes. Now dig in before I stuff it down your throat… with much appreciation, of course."

"Of course," Fenris said dryly, picking at the food on his plate.

After their meal, the two of them dressed into their armor. The sun was starting to rise so by the time they made it to Lowtown, it should be a few hours past if they took their time. Fox had finished putting on her cloak when she noticed something shining out of the corner of her eye. _Hmm, Fenris left his sword in here_. She walked over to the door frame that it was propped up against and attempted to lift it. "Maker, Fenris! For a scrawny man you sure are strong." Fox lifted it a few inches off the ground before she lost grip of it and it slammed to the floor with a large clang. She heard a small laugh behind her. She turned around to see Fenris leaning against the other part of the doorframe, dressed in his black armor that she first saw him in, and he was… smiling. Openly. He didn't try to hide it, Fox wasn't even sure if he knew he was doing it. All she knew was that it was the most wonderful smile she had ever seen, even if it was caused by her foolishness. She blushed and looked down at the floor. _Maker, I feel like I'm a little girl who just got caught playing with daddies new sword. _

"I don't quite think the sword fits you."

Fox mumbled in embarrassment from his comment under her breath as her face grew redder. "I-I was trying to bring it to you but I think someone nailed it to the floor because it seems almost impossible to lift up."

Fenris rolled his eyes and picked up his sword like she would a dagger. He cocked an eyebrow mockingly and slid it into the sheath on his back. "Hmm, yes. Nailed to the floor." Fox let out a scowl and heard him laugh again when she trudged past him, pretending to be angry. Fenris turned and followed her as she went out the door to go to Lowtown.

* * *

><p>It was bright out for being just the beginning of the day and the vendors were already drawing in customers. Fox ignored the temptation to wander over to the weapons stall to look at some new blades. She didn't have nearly enough coin to even ponder the idea of new weapons. A man dressed in a fine outfit tried to grab their attention. He was relentlessly waving his hands and beckoning to them. Regrettably, Fox and Fenris walked over to see what the man wanted. "How would you two like a job?"<p>

Fox rolled her eyes and started to walk away. "Not interested."

The man almost lunged after her before Fenris stepped in. "Just tell us what you want."

The man sucked in sharply as he saw the elf. His eyes roamed over the tattoos and to the large sword on his back, nearly as tall as he was. The stall vendor nodded to himself and put his hand under his chin contemplating. "Yes, yes. You two are the sort I need for a little job."

Fox turned around and eyed the man carefully. "Make it quick." The vendor turned his attention back to the woman as she tapped her foot impatiently. Fox was never good with waiting, which is odd since she did a lot of that while being in Umbra Et Vulpes. The man, named Hubert, explained that he owned a mine that was facing some sort of trouble. None of his "useless Ferelden" employees would return to the mine. He needed someone of skill to go check it out and deal with the problem if there was any. "And how much does this pay, exactly?"

"That depends on the problem."

Fox didn't agree to the job, but that she would relay the information to Hawke and if he felt it was worth investigating, they would get back to him. Fox and Fenris turned back around and quickly headed to the exit for Lowtown before anyone else asked them for favors.

The environment of Lowtown was a drastic change from Hightown. In Lowtown barely anyone was smiling and half of the stall vendors hadn't stalked their shelves yet. A few of the night women were just finishing their trade in some of the back allies. Some of the chanters were out early, trying to get donations before half of Lowtown went to the Hanged Man to drink their savings away or went up to Hightown to go to the Blooming Rose. The streets were paved with shit. Not literally, but more of the consistency of the people that resided there. Of course, you never did quite know what you would step in. Darktown isn't any better, but at least the people down there are hidden from view.

They got through the market district of Lowtown without too much trouble and climbed up the stairs to the Hanged Man. The building itself was one of the larger structures in Lowtown. The outside of it looked like no one had even attempted to wash it since it had been built. On one side of the structure, there was a giant fake man hanging by his feet.

"I've always wondered, why do they call it the Hanged Man?" Fenris opened the door for Fox and stepped in after him.

"I have no idea. Maybe we can ask the dwarf." They weaved around the tables of the nearly empty bar and started to head up the staircase to the room a little off to the right when they reached the top.

"No, he'll probably just make a stupid story about it."

"What about stupid stories?" Varric sat at the head of the table polishing Bianca, his crossbow. Hawke was nursing a cup of tea along with another brown haired man who bore a resemblance to him.

"If your stories were anymore embellished, Hawke here would be ten feet tall and spit fire." Fenris took a seat next to the wall and Fox joined him, grabbing the chair at the end of the table.

The brown haired man scoffed and looked up at Fenris. "If his stories were anymore embellished, my brother wouldn't be able to fit through the door. His ego is big enough for the both of us as it is."

Hawke put his tea down and looked drearily at his brother. Obviously, he wasn't much of a morning person. "Shut up, Carver."

Carver shrugged and mumbled something incoherent under his breath which was bad enough to warrant a sharp glare from Hawke.

"If you two loved each other any more it would be illegal." Carver shot a dirty look at the dwarf who went back to filling out what looked like account reports.

The little Hawke looked over at Fox and smirked. "And who is this young lady?" Fox raised an eyebrow at him and gave his a distasteful gesture. She hated being called "young" and she was in no way a "lady".

Hawke quickly interjected before Fox told off the younger brother. "This would be our newest recruit to my merry band of misfits. Fox, Carver. Carver, Fox."

Carver stood up and held his hand out. "Nice to meet you. I've heard so little about you."

Fox looked at his hand and nodded once to him. "You as well."

Carver raised an eyebrow and sat back down, unsure whether or not he should be offended. "So what kind of name is Fox? Sounds almost Ferelden."

"It is and it happens to be my last name. Despite my pleas, everyone calls me that. Though I suppose I can't complain, at least my last name isn't Toad or Weasel. Now that would be something terrible to be referred as."

Carver opened his mouth to comment but Hawke stopped him saying they unfortunately had to get back to business. Hawke explained that they were going to wait until everyone else got there but Anders was busy at the clinic; Merrill was staying home today working on something; Aveline was training the guards with his mabari; and he heard that Isabela had a long night and probably wouldn't be getting up until that afternoon.

"Alright, we still have a little less than two weeks until the expedition which is enough time to earn some extra coin. So we should start taking in a few more jobs and bringing Fox along so she can earn her share."

Varric put down his quill and looked at his scruffy friend. "Hawke, I know you think you have it all planned out."

Hawke let out an exasperated sigh and glanced at his beardless friend. "But?"

"But, we have to have jobs waiting for us before we can take them in. I have no more left, you drained that well when you rescued the Viscount's son."

Hawke leaned forward into his hands. He rubbed his temples trying to think of what to do. They needed a little more coin to have some extra supplies and so they could give Fox a little money for her own. Hawke didn't the fact that he received the majority of the coin so every chance he could get he gave it to his companions. The only reason he was able to scrape together 50 sovereigns for the expedition was because of them. He had about ten sovereigns extra but he needed to leave that behind for his mother and brother. The rest of the money that they would earn until then would pay for any extra supplies they needed that Bartrand didn't give them.

"I know a job we can do." All eyes turned to the small girl at the end of the table.

"Alright, Fox, let's hear it." Hawke leaned back in his chair and Fenris glanced over at his roommate.

"A man named Hubert in Hightown wanted us to check out the Bone Pit. He said that his workers refused to go back and he wanted to know why. The coin depends on what exactly it is that we encounter but I think it's worth checking out."

Hawke agreed and finished off his tea. Carver decided he didn't want to go up to a place called 'the Bone Pit'. Hawke shrugged it off, apparently not wanting to deal with his brother anyway. So Varric, Hawke, Fenris and Fox headed out the door of the Hanged Man to head up the path to the mine.

* * *

><p>"This place smells of death." Fenris stood at the entrance to the cavern and peered in. His nose crinkled as a gust of wind shot out of the cave, dragging the rotting smell with it. They had just gotten past an abandoned camp, running into some looters. For a moment they believed the bandits to be the problem until they searched the area more to find human bones, the meat looked like it had been torn off by an animal of some sort. Looking around some more Varric stepped in fresh animal droppings. He remarked about how he wouldn't be able to get the smell off for a week and that no human could leave a pile that big. The rest of the group decided to stay upwind from him at that point. After a little more scouting and stealthy avoidance of any odd shaped brown rocks, they found themselves at the entrance of the cavern.<p>

"Perhaps the smell of death would just be Varric's boot." Varric shot Fox a dirty look while Hawke chuckled.

"Alright, if we're done remarking about how foul the smell is, I think we should hold our noses and go in." The three other companions grunted and followed Hawke into the cavern. After a few paces the four stumbled into a small group of Dragonlings. Varric immediately took out Bianca and shot a bolt into the chest of one that dared to run at them. Hawk summoned a spell that froze one of the creatures.

"When I write about this I'm going to make them ten feet taller," Fox heard Varric yelling as she ran past him, pulling out her blades. Fenris followed her and struck a blow to the small frozen dragon, shattering it before it de-thawed. A rain of arrows and fire began falling around them, striking a few of the Dragonlings. Fenris and Fox had been working on wounding the four small creatures when they heard a deafening roar coming from the other end of the room. The four companions turned in the direction of the noise to see a bigger dragon charging at them.

"Look out!" Fenris crashed into Fox, sending her flying as the dragon slammed into Fenris, causing him to crash into a wall. Varric shot another bolt into the dragon's side, causing it to back off Fenris and turn to the dwarf and mage who summoned a cone of ice, sweeping to across the floor to stop the dragon in it's tracks. The dragon was trying to crash through the spiked ice now protruding from the floor only to cry out again as another bolt landed on it's front left leg.

In the meantime, Fox ran over to Fenris who was clutching his side. The force of the dragon's attack had caused two of his ribs to break. She knelt down beside him and fought with her belt loops to release one of the healing poultices. Fenris took it gratefully and shooed Fox off to go finish the dragon saying that he would be back up in a moment. Fox stood up and gripped her blades tight as she sprinted towards the dragon. She reached into her pack and pulled out a round red flask and threw it between the dragon's legs. The assassin marking bomb broke open causing a reaction to the dragons skin. Small points on the dragons body lit up, showing where his weakest spots were. One was right above his right hind leg. Fox looked over at Hawke and Varric as they saw the points glowing and they understood. There were four points, one in the chest, two above the hind legs, and one more at line between it's head and neck. Fox saw Fenris get up and ran past her to the other side of the dragon. She jumped in the air and stuck her blades into the pinpointed spot. Varric fired another bolt at the spot below his head, Hawke charged up a lightening spell and struck at it's chest. The dragon roared in pain, swiping it's tail around. Fenris jumped on the dragon's back and plunged his sword into the spot above the dragon's left hind leg. The beast swayed and shook him and Fox off before crashing to the ground dead.

"Well, shit." Varric was walking up to the dragon and pulled out a few still usable bolts.

"Yeah, and we just entered the cavern. No wonder the workers didn't want to come back here." Hawk drank a lyrium potion and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Fenris pulled his sword out of the dragon's hide and put it back in it's sheath. Fox was wiping off her blades as they turned around to head deeper into the mine.

Along the way they encountered one more dragon and a few dozen more Dragonlings. They heard the mine rumble as a roar was unleashed just a few hundred feet within the cavern. A mine worker ran into them screaming that there was a huge dragon in the other direction. Hawke said his thanks and told him he had better get out and to safety. They killed a few more Dragonlings before stepping out onto a small clearing. A Mature Dragon was waiting for them. The Mature Dragon let out a violent roar when she saw that her nest had been disturbed. They pulled out their weapons again and held a fighting stance.

Varric snorted as he loaded Bianca. "Great, we're fighting extinct creatures."

Fox grinned at the dwarf as she got ready to charge. "Just think of the great stories you will be able to make about this!"

Hawke grinned, charging up his staff. "Yeah, but in his story I will have blown up the dragon with 'one swing from my mighty staff'."

"Oh no, I'll be much more exciting than that."

Fenris' tattoos started to glow when he sped towards the creature head on. "Stories later, dragon first."

Fox nodded and followed his lead. Hawke summoned a fire storm, making balls of fire crash down on the dragon from the sky. While the fire was still reining down on the dragon, he then recited an incantation for a tempest storm. Lightening shot alongside the fire, stunning the dragon. Varric quickly loaded and shot two dozen arrows, making a deadly rain swarm around the dragon. Fenris and Fox were working on not getting burned, shocked or impaled while they distracted the dragon from going after the two ranged fighters. Fox had been focusing on repeated attacks on the dragon's hind legs while Fenris ran back and forth under the dragon, dragging his sword along the stomach lining. The storm died down and Hawke released another cold spell, using what was left of his mana to make it powerful enough to freeze the dragon. Right before he released the spell, the dragon whipped around to face Fenris, sending it's tail crashing into Fox. She let out a grunt as the wind was knocked over her and she went flying off the side of the cliff. She clung on desperately to the side, hoping she could keep her strength up long enough to hold on.

Hawke froze the Mature Dragon in it's place as it bore it's fangs to Fenris. Varric let off another few bolts, cracking the now iced dragon. Hawke spotted these cracks and drank another lyrium poultice. He shouted to Fenris to put all his force into the crack along the Mature Dragon's neck. Fenris nodded and stepped back a few feet to gain enough speed for his leap. Hawke noticed that he might not make it and shouted again to Fenris to trust what he was going to do. Fenris hesitated, trying to think of the possibilities of what the mage had planned, but he fought against his doubt as he saw the dragon start to thaw out. Fenris ran at full speed towards the dragon and he raised his sword up. As his feet left the ground for his leap at the dragon's neck, he felt a force push him up further and he lunged quicker at the dragon. His sword made direct contact into the crack, widening it. The weight of the dragon's head could no longer be supported as it snapped off the dragon's body. The dragon thawed out as it's body crashed to the ground, making the earth beneath them shake. Fenris, who was knocked off the dragon, stood back up and looked around.

Fox felt the ground under her fingers shake. She had been attempting to pull herself up but her injuries left her in a weakened state. Pain shot through her hands and down her arms. The contact from the ledge itself against her fragile palms was enough to make her want to release. The ledge that held her life cracked and small amounts of earth flung in her face. She resisted the temptation to wipe them out of her now stinging eyes. She couldn't see anymore and fear overwhelmed her as she felt the earth loosen even more. Just as she felt her weight being released from the edge of the cliff, a metal hand grabbed onto her arm. The claws dug into her skin but she didn't mind, someone had saved her from her death, again. She felt her body being pulled up quickly and leaned on something hard and sharp. She used her now available hands to wipe the dirt out of her eyes, which she now forced open. She was staring at a decapitated dragon. Varric was pulling out bolts and Hawke was using an empty flask to collect it's blood. The corner of her eye caught a glimpse of white and she realized what was digging into her chin. She had wrapped herself around Fenris when he pulled her up and she could feel the stiffness of his body from such close contact. The spikes on his shoulders poked at her chin before she leaned back to look at him. They were sitting on the ground, well he was, she was sitting in his lap. Her legs were pushed off to the side and one of her arms was wrapped around his neck, the other was hooked under his arm. She looked at him curiously, about to thank him until she found herself unable to speak. His face was flushed and his mouth gaped in shock. His green eyes were wide and traced over her face. It took a moment for Fox to realize that she had been staring at him the exact way that he was her.

Fox rushed to get off him and they both stood up, brushing the dirt off themselves. Fox mumbled a "Thank you" and he returned it with a mumbled "Welcome." Varric and Hawke didn't notice what had been going on as they marched up to the two, instructing that they better leave before any more dragon's turn up. Fox and Fenris followed them back down to the city, not daring to say a word to each other.

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><p>After receiving their money and Hawke agreeing to owning half the mine, the sun was starting to go down so they all headed to the Hanged Man for a drink.<p>

Isabela was already drinking in the bar area, trying to get the bartender to pay attention to her. "He's acting like I don't even exist."

Varric chuckled and motioned for Isabela to join them in his room. "C'mon, Rivaini, I'll get Norah to get you a drink." Isabela followed hastily at the promise of more alcohol. They took their normal seats at the stone table shortly receiving their normal orders of drinks. Even Fox got a flask of wine that she was downing the night before. Hawke informed Isabela about how he now owned half of the mine and she responded by asking him when her cut came in. He retorted by raising an eyebrow and told her that she could start working in the mine tomorrow for her "cut". Isabela rejected the idea saying that the only manual labor she was interested in was in her bedroom. Fox choked on her wine after bursting into laughter with Varric. Carver joined them soon after along with Hawke's dog, Fen'Harel.

Fox looked down at the dog and then over to Hawke, who was focusing his attention on Isabela's chest. "Why did you name your dog Fen'Harel?"

"Because I loved the story when I was younger, so when the mabari chose me, I named him after the dread wolf."

"How did you hear a Dalish elf story? Many city elves don't even know it."

Carver decided to answer for Hawke. "Our father wanted us to know the history and religions of all cultures. He was firm in his belief of the Maker but he wanted us to know that it wasn't the only right way to believe. He heard the story as exchange for helping an elf when he was attacked by bandits during our travels through the Brecillian Forest. Well, that's the story he told us anyway."

"And you didn't believe him?"

"It's not that I didn't believe him, it's just that I've never heard of an elf that didn't hate humans."

Hawke looked up at Carver. "Merrill doesn't." Carver didn't bother commenting on the fact that the only reason he stood up for the crazy blood mage was because he liked her, even though he caught Hawke checking out Isabela on more than one occasion. Also, Carver seemed to have a fondness for the elf, himself.

Fox turned the conversation back to her. "My father didn't hate humans." Fenris glanced over to Fox for the first time since they had the incident at the Bone Pit. Varric looked at the woman with a new interest, he had completely forgotten that she was half elf. She certainly didn't look it except for the tips of her ears. Traditionally, half elves looked like a weird cross between their parents. Except for King Alistair, but no one knew about his real background. Everyone in Ferelden had assumed, even Alistair, that he was just the bastard child of a love struck maid. Thinking back, Varric decided that it made sense for her to be half elf. She was quick and agile, but her bones were also frail like an elf's.

"Tell us about your parents, Pup."

Fox regarded the dwarf with a confused look on her face. "Pup?"

Varric smirked as Fox scrunched her nose up at the new nickname. "Yeah. Pup. You're the youngest out of all of us besides Carver. I think that's what they call baby foxes too. Plus, sometimes you have these puppy dog eyes when you're looking at-"

"Alright, alright. Pup it is then."

Varric grinned as the others looked at him confused. None of them had ever seen Fox making "puppy eyes" at anyone. Not even Isabela who was very tuned to that sort of thing. "So, like I was saying, Pup. What is the story with your parents?"

Fox took a swig of her drink and swirled it around in her fingers. "Not much to tell, Varric. The only thing I knew about them is what they told me at the orphanage."

"You were an orphan?" Fenris spoke this time, his eyebrows pulled together as he tried to picture a smaller version of Fox, dressed in ragged clothing and running around in an old shack of a building. He shook his head to rid himself of the almost impossible image as Fox resumed speaking.

"Apparently, my mother died when she gave birth to me. My father took care of me for a short while until he died in his sleep one night."

Varric looked at her curiously. "What did he die from?"

"Would it be cliché if I said a broken heart?"

"Very. But I could work with it."

"Too bad it wasn't then. My father was found dead in the morning with a dagger in his heart. The guards called it suicide, the Alienage called it murder. A few days beforehand, he had insulted one of the visiting nobles because he looked him in the eye when he passed through the market. Back then, the nobles were able to get away with murder. It was quite common in fact. Many of the children in the orphanage lost their parents due to a nobleman seeking revenge in some odd way or another. I've heard of changes since King Alistair and his warden wife took the Ferelden throne. I don't know if I believe them, since they are only rumors after all." Varric nodded, understanding she didn't want any more prying into the lives of her deceased parents.

Hawke asked the next question. "So, how did you end up in Seheron? That's a long way from Ferelden."

"I boarded a ship to Tevinter when I was six. After about ten years in Vyrantium, I left for Seheron."

"Details?"

"No."

Hawke gave up any more attempts to get anymore information out of her. After a few more hours of drinking, the group was feeling very sleepy. Fenris and Fox said their goodbyes and headed up to Hightown towards Fenris' mansion.

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><p>The walk was an awkward one. Neither of them wanted to be the one to start the conversation about what had happened at the Bone Pit. It was a silly thing to be embarrassed about, they had only touched, nothing more. Fox wasn't even sure he wanted to bring it up. She knew he was a bit distant when it came to physical contact so that moment when he was holding her was a huge step over his line. She still remembered how warm he had felt. The comforting feeling of being in his arms. The smell of wine that always seemed to linger on his breath. She wondered if he tasted like it too. Fox hadn't noticed that they were "home". She was too lost in thought until Fenris unlocked the door and cleared his throat, waiting for her to go in. Fox snapped out of her dazed thought process and stepped into the house.<p>

Fenris had already walked up the stairs by the time she fully realized where she was. She felt stupid just standing at the bottom of the stairs, like somehow she was going to float up into her room. Slowly, but steadily, she climbed the stairs. Every second step seemed like a giant leap. At one point she held onto the railing for dear life because she thought she was falling. Turns out she was just one step away from the top. Maker, how much did I drink? Fox rubbed her eyes with her fingers and continued forward. She stumbled over the door frame and into the dimly lit room. Fox was sprawled out on the floor just staring at the wall, watching a mice nibble at a piece of paper.

She heard footsteps stop at her head and she moved her eyes to see a pair of feet with lyrium marks there. "Those aren't my feet. When did I buy an extra pair of feet?"

"What are you doing, Fox?"

She tilted her head up to see the white haired elf looking down at her. He had apparently changed out of his armor into a grayish tunic but he kept his black tights on. The fact that he had hands out of his gauntlets amazed her for a few seconds until she realized she was still hugging the floor. "I am enjoying the view, that's what I'm doing."

Fenris rolled his eyes and grabbed her by her arm, pulling her up until she supported herself with the wall. "I believe you should be going to bed." Fenris attempted to coerce her out of the room to no avail because she kept whining about how she wasn't tired yet. Eventually it got to the point where she was sitting in a chair across from Fenris while he put a few more pieces of furniture into the fire. They sat their in silence for a few moments while Fox stared at the fire, dazing in and out of consciousness.

He was about to tell her to go to her room until she spoke. "I didn't want to run away."

Fenris' ears pricked up realizing that she was referring to the conversation at the Hanged Man that she didn't finish. "Then why did you?"

Fox sighed and turned her head to him. Her face was still completely flushed from the affects of the alcohol on her system. She seemed to be thinking of whether or not to tell him. After a moment, she made her decision. "Years ago, back when I was a little girl, knights came into the Alienage. They went into the orphanage and just… started killing everyone. Apparently it was because of some riots that had occurred after an elf killed a guard for coming into her home and demanding 'protection pay'. After she had refused, he attempted to rape her and she killed him. The riots started after the elf was condemned to death by the Arl at the time. The Arl then went on holiday to Orlais, allowing his knights to take care of the matter 'anyway they saw fit'. Which they believed was to come in and-and slaughter the entire orphanage to teach the Alienage a lesson. I still remember the screams of the children running for their lives. N-no one made it out. Except me. I still don't understand why I was able to survive and not… not Le-Le. After I made it out of the orphanage alive, I stowed away on a cargo ship bound for Tevinter. I never thought about going back. While I was in Herimeis last year, I heard that Arl Howe did the same thing. He called it a 'victory slaughter'. I couldn't believe that someone would do that sort of thing, again. If the Hero of Ferelden didn't kill him, I would have hunted him down myself."

Fenris listened intently to her story, surprised that she trusted him enough to tell him something that no one else knew. He didn't know if the alcohol had anything to do with this, but at this moment he didn't really care. Then, a thought struck him. "Is that why you scream at night?"

When Fox nodded silently, his eyes grew soft at the thought of her demons plaguing her after so long. But she never acted like any of this affected her. She was a strong woman with a kind heart who wanted to hold everyone's burdens for them, even though hers were too heavy as it was. Fenris was tempted to ask her about the events in Antiva but decided against it.

He would allow no prying from himself this night. "I do not know what to say. Any input I have in this would be insufficient-"

"Don't say anything, Fenris. I dealt with these demons a long time ago. I need no pity, especially from someone who I'm sure has seen worse."

Fenris nodded and said he understood. One thing still plagued his mind though, it was just his luck that at that moment, Fox decided to say it. "About… what happened at the Bone Pit… I'm sorry about the whole… touching thing. I know that it makes you uncomfortable and I sort of threw myself on top of you when you pulled me up. For that, I'm sorry."

Fenris tensed up a little when he remembered the feeling of her weight on him and the softness of her skin against his face. He remembered the way her hair smelled of apples and cinnamon. A combination he had seen in her pack that morning in a netted bag. A small shudder went down his spine and he pushed the thoughts away. "It's alright. I should be the one apologizing. If I didn't fall down as I did, then you wouldn't had landed on me."

Fox let out a sigh of relief and smiled at him. "I should thank you then, for saving my life."

"You're quite welcome. It's not every day that I get to save a beautiful damsel in distress." Fenris was shocked at his own words then. He went to apologize but then saw her blush and a small smirk crossed his face. For a reason he did not know, he enjoyed making her face go red and for her to look away in embarrassment. The two sat there in silence a little while longer, but not the awkward silence they had spent the whole day in. They were content, especially now that they had talked about what plagued their minds since earlier that day. Fenris felt himself drifting off to sleep in the chair, his hands hanging over the side, as the fire began to dim. A moment later he began drifting off into the fade until a warmth was felt in his palm and slowly encased his bare fingers. He opened his eyes to see Fox falling asleep in the chair as well, her arm stretched out so her hand would meet his. He had an urge to pull his hand away but fought against it. No, he was content with this. He wanted to be content with this. After a few moments of battling with himself over his mixed feelings, he finally accepted his long craved sleep still holding her hand lightly.

The next morning, Fox found herself awake in her bedroll, her left hand throbbing in pain.

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><p><strong>Alright, I know that the Orphanage slaughter in the Alienage happened in 9:30 Dragon when Arl Howe had brought his troops there.<strong>

**But I wanted to make it seem like that had happened before.**

**I'm sorry if you don't agree with me changing history a bit but I felt it was a good explanation of why she would run away from the orphanage when she was so young.**

**Fenris is a little OOC mainly because I feel like the game was a little odd that you hadn't kissed or even touched each other before that whole thing with Hadriana. I want him to show ACTUAL feelings for Jezebel before anything happens between them. It just seems proper. Also, the hand thing with Jezebel will be explained later. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- POV Changes between Fox and Fenris. Indicated by a horizontal divider.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Deflowering the Deep Roads**

"Are you ready?" Hawke had his hand on Fox's shoulder, trying to calm her nerves. She could deal with the darkness, she could even deal with the small spaces. She was used to those. Many years surviving on the streets of Vyrantium had hardened her for that. She was able to adjust her eyes to the dark in an instant, hide in the smallest crack between two walls. That was what she was trained for. To kill without being seen; to listen without ever being heard. That was who she was and what she was used to. The one thing she couldn't handle, however, was the thought of a giant rock ceiling crashing down on top of her at any moment. Hawke and Varric had tried to soothe this fear when they pressured her into giving up why she was so wary of going on the expedition. Hawke had reassured her that the dwarves were the best masons in all of Thedas; Varric decided to try to tell her that there have been very few cave ins reported in the Deep Roads. That was what got her shaking this time. _Very Few._ Those were still good enough odds to scare the crap out of her. Then she thought back to her training in Antiva. _Use your fear as power instead of a weakness. Do not let it consume you. Rule it before it can rule you_. Fox breathed in deeply and let these words pass through her mind. She remembered when they were taught to her. She focused on that moment. _Crashing of the tide against the cliff. The feeling of rocks digging into her bare, bleeding feet. The smell of salt and the sound of the ocean birds that surrounded her. The knives slicing into her hands as she held the blade tight; and the feeling of wind against her face as she-_ "Fox?" She snapped out of her daze and looked at the scruffy mage still staring at her with his bright blue eyes. Her hands had stopped shaking and she felt her body relax. She subconsciously curled her fingers over her palm. Even though they were gloved, she could still feel the scars. It was a constant reminder of what happened. They represented her strength, her perseverance. They had been a reward after a year of hard work, proving that she was able to overcome anything that was placed in front of her.

Fox took another deep breathe and nodded her head once. "I'm ready."

The week leading up to the Deep Roads had gone by quicker than Fox could comprehend. It was filled with drinking, gambling and constant practice to keep her skills up. Fenris had practiced with her on a few occasions. He had defeated her time and time again. The last time they sparred, she did win. Even though Fenris said that it was because she was getting better, Fox couldn't help but think that he had let her win. Something had softened within him since the trip to the Bone Pit, but for the life of her Fox couldn't remember what it was.

* * *

><p>Fenris remembered though. Often he rubbed his right hand, the feeling of her touch still on his mind. He hadn't allowed himself to be touched out of pure affection in- as long as he could remember. What Danarius did couldn't of been called affection if the Maker himself declared it so. That was just need. Lust. Pure filth. Just another way for Fenris to feel like an object. Getting used and then tossed back into his pathetic little corner of Danarius' room, where he was forced to watch and protect the man that had just filled him with his filth. But this, a simple touch on the hand had meant the world to Fenris. A symbol that he could be cared for in some way other than as a valuable member of a pack of misfits. Sure, they had touched a lot more than that at the Bone Pit, but that was an accident. This was something else entirely. This was on purpose, done by her own will, not the force of gravity. And he had allowed it. Now Fenris found himself outside a cave leading into the dark depths of the world. When Fox had started panicking, he wanted to go over and comfort her- but he didn't know how. So he just stood there as Varric and Hawke did what he should had been doing. A fire lit up in his eyes when he saw Hawke touch her. He knew that Hawke wasn't interested in Fox, he cared for that blood mage, but something about Hawke touching his Fox was unnerving. He wanted to run over there and push him off of his Fox. He had no right to show such affection to his woman. When Hawke's hand released from his Fox's shoulder, he released the tension built up in him, but he swore to himself that he would break the mages hand off if he touched his woman again. Wait… what was he saying? He looked away from his three companions and put his hand on his head. He had no right to call her 'his'. Especially not from one touch of affection when she was drunk. No, he had to keep these thoughts out of his head. He had to forget the warmth of her palm through her thin gloves. He had to focus on the task ahead of him. He needed to be clear headed so he could fight and protect the group… No… he needed to protect her. He heard a whistle and looked over to see Varric, Hawke and his Fox putting on their packs getting ready to follow Bartrand and his hirelings into the Deep Roads.<p>

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><p>The walk had been quiet, mostly. Her other companions did not hear the small scrambling noises of mice and the dripping of water off the stalactites into pools beneath them. But she did. Every sound was new and unfamiliar to her. She hated it. It took a long time to adjust to the sound of scuffling feet and the occasional cough. She needed to put these sounds at the back of her mind, so she could tune in to anything that was unusual. This part of her training in Antiva had saved her more times than she could count. She had no idea how much she didn't know until she was faced with things that she was not accustomed to. She had prayed to the Maker every day of her training to help her get through it. To show that she was worthy of learning these secrets. The Maker had answered her prayers after the longest year of her life. She had been focusing on the surrounding area when she slammed into Hawke. They had come to an abrupt stop. Looking ahead of them, she saw what she had feared. A damn cave in. Bartrand was furious. Hawke, naturally, had told him that we would scout out the area to find a way around it. On our scouting we also had to look for the merchant dwarf's son, Sandal. He had wandered off and no one could find him so Hawke told Bodahn that he would keep an eye out for the young lad. And so, they were off.<p>

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><p>Hawke and the others had been traversing through the Deep Roads looking for another way for about a half hour. They had found Sandal and were given Hawke asked him how he killed all the darkspawn and all he said was "Enchantment!" He then asked how he froze the ogre and he told him "Not enchantment!" He then proceeded to give Hawke a rune and went back to camp. That boy was either very smart, or extremely stupid.<p>

A small group of darkspawn had come across their path a little while in. Within a few minutes the darkspawn were burning on the floor, thanks to Hawke's firestorm spell. The smell was the worst thing Fenris had ever encountered. Well, a close second to fish. As they continued walking, he had noticed Varric staring at him. When he noticed the dwarf,

Varric slowed his pace down allowing Fox and Hawke to be out of earshot so he could talk to Fenris. "So, Broody."

"So, dwarf."

"What's a- what's up with you and Pup?"

Fenris looked down at the short beardless dwarf and raised an eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean?"

Varric rolled his eyes and gestured towards his Fox. Fenris' eyes followed the direction of his hand and they landed on the woman that he had been thinking about non stop. He felt his gaze soften as he watched her run about, checking every little nook and cranny of the area that they were traveling in. He had noticed she tended to do that, saying she was checking for deposits or loots. But Fenris had a feeling that it was just to calm her nerves, knowing where everything was and made sure nothing could suddenly jump out at them.

"That. Right there. You looking at Pup like she was in her small clothes. Come on, Broody. I won't tell anyone."

Fenris scoffed at him. He was not looking at her like that… was he? No. The dwarf was lying… then again he never really lied when it wasn't their life on the line… No, no! It was ridiculous. He quickly turned his attention back to Varric before the dwarf had a chance to point out any other demeaning attributes of the elf. "I haven't the foggiest idea what you mean, dwarf."

Varric let out a low chuckle, shaking his head slowly. "How in the world did you survive for three years on your own being such a terrible liar? It's almost as bad as your armor."

Fenris crossed his arms, narrowing his emerald green eyes at his companion. "And what is wrong with my armor?"

Varric shrugged and scratched his face. "Well, nothing really. Not if you plan on being a porcupine in your spare time."

"Now I really have no idea what you are talking about. What is a… pour-que-pine?"

Varric opened his mouth to respond, but instead of reciting a lesson of spiked animals and their comparisons to a certain elf, he shifted his eyes around the cavern curiously. "Hey, this is a nice conversation and all… but has it become too quite?" They looked up to see that the others had traveled far ahead of them and they could hear the clash of battle and a blood thirsty roar. Varric took out Bianca, a smirk on his face. "Time for a little fun, sweetheart."

* * *

><p>Fox had stood in the way of the dragon's attempt to getting at Hawke. He let out a more threatening energy than she did so the dragon tried going straight for the mage at first. Big mistake. Fox leapt in front of Hawke and slashed her blades into the dragon's face when it had went to bite at Hawke. The dragon threw itself back and roared in protest, it's scales shimmering in the torch light.<p>

"Thanks, Fox. But where in the Maker's name are Fenris and Varric?"

Fox didn't have time to go and find them as the dragon recovered from it's surprise injury. Hawke had run back into the entrance of the room, keeping as far of a distance as his magic would allow. The dragon considered Fox his new target as pay back for the wound on his nose. The dragon flew upwards, Fox attempting to keep track of him using his shadow. She had miscalculated by a few feet as the dragon came crashing down, flinging her off to the side with the force of the landing. She slid across the stone floor and attempted to get back up again when the dragon started charging towards her. She saw a look from Hawke from the corner of her eye as he gave her a hand signal. The dragon was almost on top of her before she pushed off the ground with one leg and sprang to the left, rolling on the ground to evade the fireball that slammed into the dragon. _Maker am I glad Hawke made me learn the signals_. The dragon flung it's head towards the direction that the blast had come from. It had spotted Hawke again. Fox sprang up and ran towards the dragon to get its attention back. She threw a combustion bomb at the dragon's side and it exploded upon contact. The dragon let out another roar as some of it's scales flew off, revealing pink skin. Fox got an idea, but she only had two bombs left. The left side was obviously this dragon's weaker side. The scales penetrated easier than the ones on the right. Hawke had obviously seen this as well as he gave her a signal to turn the dragon's left side towards him. Fox nodded her head and ran in front of the dragon as it blew a trail of fire behind her. A pain shot through her leg and she almost fumbled. She ignored it the best she could, throwing another combustion bomb at the right side of the dragon's head to try and get him to turn as she reached the other side of it.

* * *

><p>Fenris picked up his pace when he saw Hawke standing in an entrance to a room. Beyond him was his Fox throwing a bomb at the dragon's head. He cringed as the dragon whipped around to face her and attempted to swipe at the evading rogue. Hawke spotted him and Varric and yelled at the dwarf to shoot at it's left side and for Fenris to go out and help Fox. Fenris didn't even hear the order under he was already half way there. He heard a bolt fly past his head and saw it stick into the pink flesh of the dragon that was slightly revealed. A fireball past him next, slamming into the same spot as he ran to his Fox. She caught sight of him and a sign of relief was shown in her eyes. She nodded to the dragon and Fenris understood. He saw the dragon turning towards Hawke and Varric so he ran up to it's side, jumping in the air and striking the dragon's right side scales. It barely penetrated, but it was enough to bring it back around to face them.<p>

In a few seconds, it was over. Varric had shot another bolt after three more fireballs left the mage's staff. The dragon laid dead at their feet, but his Fox was now limping.

Fenris approached her, restraining the temptation to touch her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

His Fox turned to look at him and let out a deep breath that she had been holding when the dragon was going down. "I'm alright, mostly. My calf got charred a little bit but with an injury kit and a poultice, it should heal fine."

The calf was a hard place to reach if you were to clean it yourself, so Fenris said something that surprised both of them. "Would you like me to take a look at it?" His Fox was hesitant and he didn't understand why. Why would she deny him in such a manner? It irritated him beyond his own comprehension. The thought that she wished someone else to tend to her, the thought that anyone else was allowed to tend to her, was a putrid thought that made his stomach churn.

* * *

><p>Before she could even answer him, Fox found herself on the ground, in front of a kneeling Fenris as he rummaged through his pack. She was surprised at his offer, to say the least. But that wasn't why she was hesitant. It was the same reason why she never took off her gloves, even while she slept. She had secrets that she did not care to reveal to anyone. In the back of her mind she was screaming at herself for allowing him to do this. She was fighting the urge to thrash, run, kick- anything to make it so he didn't do this. But she kept telling herself that he was going to see them eventually, whether she liked it or not. Fenris sat down in front of her and motioned for her to put her leg on his lap. He slid off her partially burned boot easily as some of the material stuck to her leg. The bottom of her pants were fine since they were inside the boot, but half of a foot from the top of it up was burned. Fenris asked if Fox would mind if he cut the burnt part of her pants off. She replied that she would do it later at camp when she had her sewing kit with her so she could put a patch there. He nodded and began to ravel up her pants leg. She instinctively reached out and grabbed his hand for him to stop, despite the pain in her own hand. Fenris looked up at her with a expression of both shock and… pain? He was hurt that she would attempt to stop him? Fox mumbled an "I'm sorry, go on" and took her hand away. He stared at her for a moment before continuing. Varric and Hawke had wandered over to them and sat around the two, watching and waiting. Fox wanted to scream at them to go away but she suppressed it. They all let out a gasp when Fenris had finished rolling up her pants to her knee.<p>

Aside from the red skin that made up the burn, there was something else odd about Fox's leg. It had something inside of it. Fox resisted the temptation to get up and runaway from them. Where would she go? She was in the damn Deep Roads! The scar around the object was relatively new, showing that it had recently been put there only a few years prior. Fenris slowly worked on cleaning the burn, his eyes lingering on the thing protruding inside her skin. Varric and Hawke had kept silent. She didn't know what was worse, the thought of them being disgusted by it, or this unnerving silence. She knew what it was. It was a quarter part of her prize. It was the reward she had received when her training in Antiva had completed. She only used it in a few situations, but it had proven to be worthy of all the pain that she had endured during that year. Fenris finished wrapping her calf and rolled down her pants leg. He gave her the poultice that he had taken out and got up. She downed the poultice quickly before putting on her partially charred boot. Hawke and Varric stood up with her and they never spoke a word. The four formed an awkward circle/square and just stared at each other, everyone but Fox.

Varric let out a sigh and shook his head. "Alright, since no one else is going to ask- Pup, what the hell was that?" The three stared at her, looking for some sort of answer.

Fox sighed and rubbed her temples with her gloved hands. "That… was something done to me in Antiva." She turned around wanting walk away from the conversation until someone grabbed onto her arm. She was spun back around to face the group and she saw the one who had grabbed her to be Fenris. Fox was stunned by the intensity in his eyes as he let go and backed away, resuming the place he was standing in just a moment before. He lowered his gaze when he spoke. His voice quivered with a seething anger for what he had seen. An anger for what she had been keeping from him.

"Fox, what happened in Antiva?"

She didn't want to tell them, not now. Not when Fenris was just starting to open up to her. Not when the others had just started to accept her fully. But she couldn't lie. She didn't want to lie to her new friends.

Hawke looked at her now with softened eyes. "You can trust us, Fox. If you don't want us to tell anyone else, we won't. But I think you need to explain that thing in your leg."

Fox thought for a moment and then nodded slowly. She gestured for them to sit on the stairs with her so she could share part of the story that she had never told anyone. It's not that she couldn't, she just really didn't want to. Fox didn't want the judgmental stares and whispers behind her back. But something told her she could trust these three.

She sat down on the cold hard steps and looked at the three men. "Alright, then let me just say this now, promise me that you will not change your opinion of me. Promise me that you will not breathe a word of this to anyone unless I say it's alright. Promise me that you won't… you won't judge me." The three nodded their heads and promised. Fox let out a deep breath and brought her thoughts together.

"After I had left Seheron, unwillingly, I was dropped off in Antiva. Antiva is a beautiful place but it's filled with assassins- and Antivans. The people were absolute trash, save a few. I found myself fighting everyone with a weapon during my first year. It wasn't on purpose, I just didn't know the etiquette was so… different there. I apparently hit all the wrong buttons. Well, after my first year there I had finally been able to settle in. I stayed at an apartment above the local whore house. It was given to me by a friend that I had made years ago back in Vyrantium. When I saw him again in Antiva, he said that he wasn't able to show me 'the ropes' as it were, but he would at least try to help me. Zevran, was his name, and we had often had talks about how we got where we were. He turned into a brother figure for me during the year that I had seen him. Zevran had convinced the Crows to give me odd jobs once in awhile that they felt themselves too petty for. After a year, Zevran left taking up a job in Ferelden."

Varric held up his hand for her to stop. "Wait- wait. You knew the Crow assassin that tried to kill the Hero of Ferelden? Didn't she take mercy on him and asked him to join them?"

She rolled her eyes and nodded her head. "Yes, and he never stopped talking about it in his damn letters. I love him like a brother but he never knew when to shut up. I didn't know a person could ramble on in a letter before I received my first one from him. Anyway. As I was saying. After Zevran left I was completely on my own then. The Crows still gave me jobs. One of the jobs was to find and kill a man named Jaiden Naphtali. When I reached his home in Selemy, I found him sitting on his front porch. He was waiting for me. Jaiden surprised me then by throwing his weapons at me and said he was unarmed. I was still cautious because daggers could be hidden anywhere. He motioned for me to sit down so for some odd reason I did. We talked about nothing and everything. He wasn't too old but he wasn't exactly young. He knew things that I couldn't have ever dreamed to know. I didn't ask him why he thought the Crows were after him, it was a personal contract. But he gave me an offer I could not turn down. He offered to train me. I knew just by talking to him for what seemed like hours, he could teach me things that I would never have dreamed of. He said that the training came with a price and laughed when I told him I barely had a copper to my name.

Jaiden went on to explain that the price was to give up my freedom for a year and live by only his command. I agreed hesitantly. Later I found out that he ran a small group of people that he had trained in the same way he promised me. That's why the Crows wanted him dead. They saw him as a threat because he was able to do and teach things that they couldn't. After a year of the most brutal training in my life, he had deemed me worthy of receiving the thing that made his group so special. I just had to pass one final test."

Hawke interrupted now. "Wait, so you are now part of another guild?"

"No, not exactly. He said I wasn't obligated to stay with them but I would always be welcome. What had made the group special, however, will always stay with me."

"The thing in your leg?"

"I'm getting to that. So my final test was to stand at the edge of a cliff in Salle. We had moved around a lot during the training to stay away from the Crows. They were… not happy that they had lost a guild member and a hired contract. I remember standing at the very tip of that rocky cliff, my hands were clutching onto my blades. I was required to hold them by the blade. I needed to prove I could push myself through the pain. My feet were already cut up pretty bad from the sharp rocks. He gave me one final statement before I completed my test. He told me 'Use your fear as power instead of a weakness. Do not let it consume you. Rule it before it can rule you.' And so, I jumped. The cliff was as tall as two High Dragons. I was scared beyond belief, but I pushed myself past it. I was required to hold onto my blades, jump off the cliff and swim back to shore. Courage, bravery, and perseverance. After I had crawled my way onto the shore, still holding my blades, he smiled and told me it was time for my prize.

I went back to the small shack on the beach where two other members sat waiting for me. In their hands they held a Rune of Devastation and an Elemental Rune. Using some sort of skill I had never seen before, they cut the Devastation Rune in half and crushed the Elemental one into a fine powder, but they somehow still retained their affects. I was laid upon a table and they began to work on me. One of them cut into the wound on my hand and tore it open further, placing the powder inside. They did it with the other hand as well. The other person was a mage who was healing me the entire time it was happening so I wouldn't die from shock. After my hands were finished, they turned me over and cut open my calves. They placed one half of the Devastation Rune in each leg. I passed out from exhaustion when they were done. I woke up a week later in Rialto with a note telling me how to use them. At the end of the instructions, Jaiden said that if I wished to ever come back and join them, the runes would show me the way."

The three men looked at her with mouths gaping, even Fenris.

They were staring at her in an awkward silence until Varric, as always, broke it. "So he trained you and put Runes in you so you could… what? Not kill him? And I'm dying to know what the runes do exactly if they're-well- in you. "

Fox smiled and stood up and started walking up the stairs. "No, he didn't put the runes in me for that reason. But that is another story for some other time. As for what they do- well you will just have to wait and see when it happens, won't you?"

Varric sighed, his curiosity was not satisfied. They all walked up the stairs and saw the opening. "Well, this seems like the right way. Better go back and tell Bartrand. He'll be so pleased." They turned and walked back to camp.

After they told Bartrand they immediately set out for the path. In the middle of the walk, Bartrand decided it was a good time for a rest. They unpacked their bedrolls and set up a small fire.

* * *

><p>Fox and Fenris were taking watch together while the others slept. This had been Varric and Hawke's idea. Of course. Fenris hadn't spoken to her since she explained what it was that was in her skin. He wanted to ask her why she would do that. Why she would work so hard just to get something put in her. In her skin. There was something she wasn't telling him and he didn't really care that she didn't want to talk about it. He wanted to know why his Fox would do such a thing to herself. He wanted to know why she would put herself through all that pain. Was it for power? No, Fox didn't seem the type. Was it for glory? No, she didn't even want to speak about it. What was it then? Why would she do that to her own body? Fenris got up from the rock he had been sitting on and straightened himself. He would get the answer from her. He walked over to the shadowed corner that his Fox had set herself up in. His Fox looked at him perplexed when she saw him hovering over her, but then realization dawned on her as she told him to take a seat.<p>

"Yes, Fenris?"

"Why?" His voice was soft but harsh. His head was hung low between his knees as he sat.

"Why do you want to know?"

His head snapped up to her and he narrowed his eyes. "Because I just can't figure out why you would do such a thing! Why you would put yourself through so much pain for… what? I don't understand why!"

She looked down at the rocky floor, almost looking sad; almost looking ashamed. But then her head rose and her eyes hardened to him. "What would you do if you were going to die? Not by the hands of another, not even from an illness that you could catch from someone. But because your own blood was spoiled? Jaiden sensed it when he first saw me. He sensed that I was dying. The runes give off enough power so I can't die by my filthy blood. They counteract what's within me. Fenris, if I didn't do this, I'd be dead right now."

"How? What is in your blood that has spoiled you? I don't understand."

She sighed and relaxed herself as she saw Fenris had stopped snapping at her. Her hand ran across the sand that piled up next to her. "I lied about my parents. My mother didn't die in childbirth. She died because she was poisoned. Slowly. The healer that she visited thought it was horrid that an elf and a human had mated. So every time my mother went to see her, she had her drink a cup of tea to 'help the process'. In the tea contained some sort of poison that slowly killed her from the inside. It took two months for it to take affect. She died when she was about to go in labor with me. At that point, the poison had seeped into my bloodstream. They didn't know it though. When my father found out after going to a different healer when I became very ill suddenly, he killed the healer that poisoned my mother. That's why he was murdered. For taking revenge. So the healer's family took revenge on him. Before he died, the healer that he took me to made some sort of potion that she injected into my bloodstream through an open wound. She said that it should slow down the process of the poison and for me to come back when I got sick for another dose. I never needed to go back again. The potion seemed to heal me completely, but I was wrong. Twenty-one years later, I fell ill again. I was saving up enough money for a pyre for myself when I took the job to kill Jaiden. It was just my luck that he knew what to do."

Fenris sat there completely silent and stoic. His thoughts were a completely different matter. _She is very lucky indeed. I can't believe that she would have died if it weren't for this._ But why is it she- He spoke the last thought. "Why is it you didn't just tell us that?"

She looked over at him and shrugged. "I didn't want to reveal too much of myself I suppose."

His eyebrows drew together and a crease in his forehead formed out of confusion. "But, you just told me. Even after I snapped at you."

She smiled lightly and got up. "Maybe I'm just a big softie for attractive white-haired elves with lyrium marks."

Then, Fox- no- His Fox, walked away. Leaving Fenris with wide eyes and his mouth open, gaping at what she said.

* * *

><p>Three days had passed since that night. Three days and a lot of exploring mixed with a lot of problems. A day ago Bartrand took the idol and shut the door behind him, locking them within the Thaig. Fox was horrified at the idea of being locked down in the Deep Roads, never to be able to see the sky again. Hawke had kept his cool and told them that they would find a way out of this place. Varric just wanted to kill his brother. Fenris- Fenris hadn't said anything. He just wore a determined expression and walked silently among them. Fox had spoken to Fenris since the night she told him about her parents. They were short conversations about nothing in particular, but she always left them feeling satisfied. At least he was talking to her now.<p>

They had just entered an old vault after refusing the offer of the hungry-profane-demon thing. Well, that's what Varric was calling it, even with Hawke constantly correcting him that it was a hunger demon in the form of a profane.

"Varric, what is this place?" Hawke strode alongside his friend, eyes wide and roaming.

"This is the vault. It's where the dwarves used to store their-"

A large rock wraith formed in front of their eyes. They all took a step back as it built up, never seeming to end. Then, just as soon as it had come, it disappeared. "Well, that was disappointing-" Varric was cut short when the rock wraith emerged out of the ground beside them. Fox and Fenris quickly jumped out in front to guard Varric while he loaded up Bianca and Hawke while he charged up a spell. The wraith threw a rock- how original- at them and quickly disappeared again. The four had evaded the sudden attack to now be staring at an empty vault. "Andraste's dimpled butt cheeks! What in the name of-" The rock wraith appeared in the center again and started to cluster together, building up energy. "Oh shit! Run!" The four followed Varric, when he yelled at them, behind a pillar.

Fox looked down at Varric as they caught their breaths from narrowly missing the energy attack. "Fucking aye, Varric! Whenever the damn rock thingy-"

Hawke looked at her annoyed. "Rock Wraith!"

"Whatever! Whenever the damn rock thingy disappears, don't talk! It seems to like your voice!"

"Duly noted, Pup! Now let's kick some rock thingy butt!"

Hawke groaned. "I swear you two are just trying to annoy the piss out of me." Fox and Varric grinned at Hawke before jumping out from behind the pillar with Fenris following them. Hawke stayed a distance away casting a cold spell at the center of the ring of rocks that just formed. Varric was a few feet ahead of Hawke and let out a hail of arrows to go crashing down on the surrounding profane that had popped out of no where. Hawke was switching his attention now from the profane to the rock wraith. Fenris and Fox dipped and jumped over the spinning rocks that hurdled themselves around the mass of energy in the middle. Whenever they reached the center and hit it with their weapons it made a loud cling sound and threw them backwards. They did about three more times before the wraith started forming up again. The four ran behind the pillar once more and waited for the rock wraith to release it's energy.

Fox looked over at Hawke, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Hawke! This is getting extremely annoying and repetitive. Those damn little rock thingies are making it harder. It doesn't even seem like we're doing anything to the damn rock thingy."

Hawke nodded, ignoring the fact that she called it a "thingy" again and looked around the room as a blast of energy surged forth from the wraith. He apparently spotted what he needed to before ducking his head back in so it wouldn't be fried. "I've got an idea." The three companions listened intently to his plan and set out to execute it after the energy died down again. The rock wraith weakened once more and formed the circle of spinning rocks around it's center once again. Profane sprang up from the surrounding rock piles and went to attack them. Each one of them started attacking five of them each, drawing them in to following them when they backed up. Fox had her bow out now, something she missed using, and shot arrows at the profane instead of attacking them head on. Hawke was shooting small bursts of lightening at them. Varric was shooting bolts and Fenris was doing wide arced attacks from a distance so only the tip of his blade hit them. They backed up to the rock wraith as the profane ran at them. They waited until the profane were a few feet away from them as they stopped at the ring and Hawke shouted "now" as the profane lunged towards them. The four quickly jumped out of the way and covered their heads as the profane hit the ring of rocks around the energy, destroying it as well as themselves. A few of them bounced off the ring of rocks and smashed into the center, making it glow wickedly. As the last profane smashed into the energy, the center attempted to draw in more rocks to form it's body. Hawke sprang up and quickly let out a blast of cold, destroying it. The other three stood up and brushed themselves off as Hawke drank a lyrium poultice.

Varric went over and patted Hawke on the back. "Well, shit Hawke. I didn't think that would actually work. Good job"

Hawke rolled his eyes, attempting to look annoyed but the childish grin on his face gave him away. "You wound me when you think so little of my plans, Varric."

"Hey, I said you did a good job. Now don't you go stealing my lines on me."

"It was payback for the 'rock thingy' comments you and Fox were pulling on me."

Fox walked up to them, Fenris following closely behind. "Watch it Hawke, or Varric might write you out of your story."

Varric laughed and Hawke shrugged saying he never asked for a story in the first place.

"Alright, now let's go take a look around. Maybe we will find something in here. Hopefully something shaped like a key to open that door over there." Varric headed towards a pile of treasure, grinning from ear to ear as the light hit the shining pieces of gold.

* * *

><p>The trek home was a long and boring one. They encountered maybe four groups of darkspawn, a handful of wraiths and one ogre. But the amount of gold that they would all get from this would be worth it. Hawke told them that since Bartrand had "given up" his share of what they were able to collect from the vault, he was going to split the earning's four ways. Varric had already been doing the calculations saying they would all get about 150 maybe 200 sovereigns each if he could find buyers for all of it. Fenris said he didn't want the money but they pushed it on him anyway saying that he needed to fix his house up a little bit. When they got to the surface, Fox was on the ground kissing it.<p>

"Hah, Pup I don't think you want to be kissing that ground. This might be Hightown but scum still walk the streets."

Fox got up and shrugged. "I'm just happy we're out of that blighted hole." Varric laughed and agreed.

He turned to Hawke now, a thoughtful but curious demeanor sprang over him. "I wonder if Bartrand came back to the city already. You think I'd be that lucky?"

"Not really. Luck hasn't been our strong point so far. But I'm not really worried about Bartrand right now. I have to head home to tell my mother and brother the good news."

"You be safe Hawke. We're going to be rich."

**Yes, I changed the battle with the Rock Wraith**

**Why?**

**Because in the game it WAS boring and repetitive.**

**And extremely easy to beat. But that dragon always seemed to give me an issue for some odd reason.**

**Anyway, Please Review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- Again, I'll be doing 3rd person Jezebel Fox then switching over to 3rd person Fenris.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**A New Home?**

"But what happened then?" Cassandra was crossing her arms and tapping her foot in annoyance. Varric smiled inwardly to himself at how much he enchanted this Seeker with his tale. He wasn't just telling the story of Hawke now. Varric was a bit surprised to find out that she knew that former assassin had been with them. Fox did keep to herself a lot more than the other companions. She also forbid Varric from adding her to his tales. He owed her his life, so he complied reluctantly. But Cassandra wanted to know all the details, and so, he was giving them. Even if it meant that he had to tell her about Fox.

"Oh? Did that peak your interest? Why, may I ask, would you be so interested in the relationship between the broody elf and the cunning fox?"

The woman tilted her head off to the side, the low light from the candles shadowed her surprised expression. She shook her head lightly, holding up her hands to the dwarf. "Wait… relationship? What sort of relationship are you talking about, Varric?"

Varric cleared his throat, placing one hand on the armrest of Hawke's study chair. He shifted uneasily, darting his eyes away for a brief second. "Just the, ah, normal relationship between to friends. We were all very close, you see. Well, until they left, that is."

Cassandra inched closer to the blonde dwarf sitting across from her. The light was fully encasing her now, showing the rage that was building up inside of her. In a low, harsh voice, she attempted to get the information out one more time before the tiger was released from its cage. "You said 'they'. Fenris and Jezebel left before? Or they were never there at the start of the war? Which one is it?"

The dwarf coughed, clearing his throat. He looked up at the Seeker, a smug smile on his face. "You're misinterpreting my words, Seeker. I meant when we all left."

Cassandra glared down at the dwarf sitting in the chair in front of her. Her voice rose in annoyance. "Don't give me that bullshit, Varric. You know what she did. You of all people should know of the stories coming out of that Maker-forsaken country! You know what that former Tevinter elf and her are doing. We just hadn't suspected that they knew each other before. We thought that they met after the Champion disappeared. That she met you all after everything that Hawke did in Kirkwall before your companions 'mysterious' disappearances." Cassandra began pacing in front of the occupied chair. Her hand under her chin as the other crossed over her chest. She waved her hand around, Varric unsure if he was talking to him or to herself. "This is all making sense now. Fox left with Fenris before any of this happened. Which means you lied in your stories to cover up whatever it was that they were doing. Yes. We had a theory about something like this, but didn't have any proof to back it up. It's all coming together now."

Varric raised his eyebrows and spread his hands. "Then explain it to me because I have no idea what you may be talking about, Seeker. As far as I know, they didn't do anything. Haha, unless you count their relationship as some sort of conspiracy." He winced at his own slip again but Cassandra didn't seem to notice as her fury began to surge forth. She raised her hand up and back-handed the blonde-haired dwarf. He rubbed his cheek, a faint imprint of a human hand spread from his chin to his eyebrow, and sighed.

"Don't lie to me, Varric! What they are doing is just adding to the war! But somehow, we haven't been able to track them down. You claim she was just good at hiding, but there was more to it, wasn't there? The stories that are spreading say that she can do a lot more than just hide. She wasn't able to do this before according to the information we gathered about her past. So, it must of happened when she joined Hawke's little group. Or more specifically, when she met that elf. What. Happened. Varric?" She spit the last three words to him, her anger growing with every syllable.

"Fine. You want to know what happened between them? It's a little personal but if you really want to know-"

"I do."

"Hmph. Alright. Well then, it all started after we got back from the Deep Roads…"

* * *

><p>A few weeks had passed since they got back from the Deep Roads. Hawke had been drinking ever since. They had been sitting at the Hanged Man in their usual spot at the back of the tavern in a corner. Varric had announced that he was sick of his room smelling of sweaty bodies from cramming the entire group in there. So for the past few weeks they had been sitting downstairs with the rest of the riffraff. The crowd was rowdy that night, not making the situation any better. Hawke had stumbled in a few minutes before, already half way to completely intoxicated. He promptly ordered a bottle of whiskey, a secret stash that the bartender usually kept for himself, and plopped a pile of silvers onto the table to pay for his addiction. The whiskey was the most potent thing in the Hanged Man, and that's exactly what Hawke wanted. He didn't want to slowly drown himself, he wanted it quick and painless.<p>

Fox had been sitting next to Anders and Fenris when she looked up and saw the bearded mage stumbling towards their table. "Hawke, you really have to calm down on your drinking. I know the last few weeks have been hard on you but-" Fox was cut short when a drunken hand almost hit her in the face. She leaned back as the mage waved his finger at her.

"You-you don't…don't tell me how to live. I'mma- I'mma mage, y'know? I can make you go- poof!" He brought his hands together and then opened them up, wiggling his fingers. He swayed like he was being struck with a strong gust of wind. Hawke went to take a swig of his whiskey when the pirate reached over and grabbed it from him. He desperately tried to hold on, but his drunken state made him give up easily.

"Hawke, sweetheart. I love to see you drunk and all, you're fun, but this- this is just pathetic." Isabela took a hearty gulp of the whiskey and fought off Hawke as he tried to get it back from her. Anders mumbled to himself about how he would have to treat yet another hangover in the morning.

"Well, whadya expect me to do? Too dooo… tooooooo doooooo. Hehe…My brother joined the blighted Templars! Now he struts around in his shiny armor thinking he's better than me!"

Varric bent his head down and put his hand on his forehead. "Well, he's certainly better than you are acting right now."

Hawke whipped around to the murmuring dwarf on his left. "Wha-what are you saying dwarfy? I know you got a tiny body but I didn't know your voice was so small. So tiny small. You look like a doll. Have any babies tried dressing you up? I want to dress you up. I think you would look pretty in a dress."

Varric rolled his eyes at Hawke and nodded his head at Isabela. Isabela groaned and got up, walking over to the drunken slob that was trying to tug at Varric's ponytail. "Come on big guy. I think you need to sleep off whatever dream your in if you think Varric would wear a dress." Hawke mumbled in protest but Isabela put his arm around his neck, lifting him off the bench. "Balls, you need to lose some weight!" Hawke started thrashing and pushed her away. Isabela fell over onto her ass. She looked over at Merrill who had been watching, horrified. "Kitten, do you mind doing your little spell thingy?" Merrill nodded and walked over to the slumped over Hawke and whispered an enchantment. Hawke started snoring loudly as his drool began pooling around him. "Well, I don't think I'll be able to drag him up to Hightown like this, but I can at least put him in a bed." She went to Hawke's side and opened up his coin purse, taking out three silvers. Fox and Fenris raised an eyebrow at her and she just grinned roguishly.

"You're stealing from Hawke?" Fenris looked slightly disturbed at the pirate wench and she chuckled.

"No, I'm just not paying for his room." She went over to Corff and plopped the silvers on the counter. Turning back to the table, she gave the key to Anders.

Anders took it and sighed, getting up. "Why do I always have to be the one to carry him to his room?"

Fox smiled as he groaned at the other mages weight. "Because you think Hawke is cute."

A blush formed over his cheeks as he started dragging Hawke up the stairs. He knew Hawke wasn't that way, but it didn't mean he couldn't think of the possibilities of it. "I do not!" The group chuckled and turned back to the conversation they were having before Hawke had stumbled in. Varric finished off another tankard, or he appeared to considering he was in no way intoxicated while Isabela seemed to be getting more drunk by the minute, and called Norah back over to the table.

As she refilled his mug, he turned to Fox. "So, pup- how are you liking your new little set up?" The previous week she had bought a house just outside of Hightown. It wasn't as glorious as the Hightown mansions, but it wasn't a desolate little shack like in Lowtown. It had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining area and a study that all branched from a small sitting area with a fireplace. It was just perfect for her. Fenris didn't like the fact that she would be moving out of his house, but he had yet to voice his opinion. He knew that she would eventually move out, just not so soon.

"I don't know how you found that place, Varric, but thank you. Though I still don't know what to do with the second bedroom."

Varric bowed slightly and grinned. "It's what I do, messere. Maybe you can get someone to move in with you- Like a uh- a roommate." His eyes glanced over to Fenris as the elf stiffened.

Fox didn't notice as she took a mouthful of wine. "Psh. Yeah, like anyone would want to room with someone who is being hunted, might I remind you. 'Hey, so this is my kitchen and don't mind if someone comes by in the middle of the night and try to kill you. They're just looking for me.' It doesn't exactly scream 'happy home'." Fenris scoffed then, reminding her that she roomed with him and he was in the exact same situation. "I mean, I didn't mind rooming with you, Fenris. You understood the situation because it's the same one you're in. I just- I'm just going to shut up now."

"Then why did you leave? If you understood, why leave?" Fenris slammed his fist down on the table, making the other drinks rattle against the surface. His lyrium glowed lightly, further showing his anger that he was now unable to contain.

Varric and Merrill eyed them curiously while Isabela was attempting to ward off a wannabe poet so she could listen in on this juicy conversation.

Fox darted her eyes down and a small frown formed on her lips. Her voice came out small and helpless as she tried to calm the raging ex-slave down. "I don't think this is the time to discuss this, Fenris."

Fenris let out a small growl, "then when will it be the time to discuss it?" He got up from the table and made his way through the exit, walking out of the Hanged Man. Fox put her hands on her face, wanting to scream in them. _Why did I leave?_

* * *

><p>Fenris felt the cool air hit his hot face as he walked out of the tavern. He was angry. Angry at her for leaving. Angry at her for never giving her a real answer to why she left. All she could say to him the day she moved out was that she was fulfilling the promise she made to him. But he didn't give a damn about the promise. The two weeks after the expedition were filled with a joy that he could not comprehend. She had been helping him clean up the mansion so it looked slightly more presentable. The place was still falling apart but he didn't want to spend a copper to fix it. It technically wasn't his anyway. It was just a place for him to reside, not a real home. Not somewhere he could put down his roots and start a life. Which is why he liked it. It reminded him that he wasn't bound to one place, that he could come and go as he pleased. So why did it hurt so much this past week to go back to his empty mansion when he had been doing it for months before she got here? Fenris was walking towards Hightown, his mind spinning with his argument against himself. He felt ashamed for snapping at her like that. As he neared the edge of Hightown, he had an overpowering need to make it up to her. He found himself quickly walking over to her home. When the cottage was in sight he froze. Not because he was doubting himself, but because he felt someone watching him. Slowly he slid his sword off of his back and turned to face the new threat. Before he could react, his head slammed down onto the street, his sword still clutched in his still hand. He felt his eyes start to roll back into his skull. Before they did, he caught a glimpse of a group of people standing near him, dressed in green cloaks.<p>

* * *

><p>Fox left the tavern an hour after Fenris did. She was furious. Not with Fenris, but with herself. She didn't understand why she would say those things, knowing how it hurt Fenris. She let out an exasperated sigh as she caught sight of her home. Home, now that's a tricky word. "I guess I'll just talk to Fenris in the morning." She really didn't want to speak to him at that moment, not wanting to seep out any of the anger that she was feeling. She took out her key about to open her front door when something caught her eye. A note. She ripped the note off of the arrow that had planted itself in her door. Scanning it quickly, she took off back to Lowtown.<p>

* * *

><p>Fenris awoke in a small room that smelled like fish. His nose scrunched up in distaste. <em>Why is it always a warehouse?<em> The back of his head throbbed from the impact of a blunt object earlier that evening. He went to rub it and to check it there was any damage but discovered he could not move. His hands were bound and the bindings were chained to a wooden pillar. He looked down at his feet and noticed the same thing. Immediately he started thrashing around, trying to loosen the bindings. _How could I be taken down so easily?_ Then he remembered the whispering that he had heard just before he was knocked on the head. _Magic._ He growled in frustration. His eyes began to dart around the room to find anything that he could reach to get out of his bindings. His sword was on the other side of the room, far out of his reach. A small cot was pushed up against the wall on his right. Besides a few crates to his left and a few feet in front of him, there was nothing in this room within his reach that could help him. His lyrium markings began to glow as he attempted to faze through the bindings, but a bolt of lightening hit his chest.

"Now now, we can't have our bait escaping can we?" The man who had just walked in the room was dressed in a green cloak. The same one Fox wore. A staff with a Tevinter symbol on the top was in his hands. There was a chain around his neck holding what appeared to be a silver paw print with two arrows crossed behind it. Fenris had seen this symbol a few times whenever Fox took off her cloak. She had it tattooed on her left forearm. Fenris snarled at the man when he came to his conclusion. He was part of Umbra Et Vulpes. He had betrayed _his_ Fox.

"Ooo, what a feisty one you are. And so beautiful. No wonder Jezebel was interested in you. She always did have exotic tastes." Fenris looked at the man questionably, refusing to speak to him. "Oh yes, we've been following your little gang around for the past few weeks. When Tevan came back saying that Jezebel wasn't there, Lawrence didn't believe him of course. Poor Tevan, he was so young. But so foolish. When I came here in his place I spotted something quite peculiar when I watched our former leader. I saw affection. Towards you." He scoffed. "Who would have known that our mighty former leader would actually develop feelings for someone? She had always been kind, yes, but she never allowed herself to fall for anyone. So when I had seen her eyeing you, well I knew that she would have done anything to keep you unharmed. Which is how we are in this current predicament now. I hope she liked you enough to come after you, for your sake of course. Once we get her we will be allowing you to go free… unless…"

The mage sat down on a crate across from Fenris and was smiling lightly to himself, scratching his chin. "Well, you do match the description of the slave that was up for bounty. That's a lot of coin for someone we were able to capture so easily. You must not be all that special after all. Either way, we bring you both back to Tevinter, and we sell you back to your magister for a nice profit. How does that sound?" Fenris spat at him, his lyrium glowing wickedly. The mage wiped his hand on his face to remove the fluid. He sighed standing back up. "Well, I suppose it is like Jezebel always said in that Starkhaven language of hers. Cén fáth a bhfuil siad i gcónaí deacair é; Why do they always make it difficult?" Three more cloaked figures came into the room as the mage cast another sleeping spell on Fenris, making him sag his head and shoulders down. "Guard him. If he wakes up, knock him over the head a few times. But do it gently, we can't deliver the magister any damaged goods. I'm going to be waiting downstairs for our little Jezebel to come to the rescue." He walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

><p>At that same moment, Fox slammed the door open to the Hanged Man and didn't bother closing it as she bolted up the stairs to Varric's room. She banged on the heavy wooden door repeatedly until she head Varric yelling at her that he was coming. He opened the door, straightening the shirt that he had just pulled on and looked at Fox with weary eyes. Fox shoved the note in the dwarf's face before he had a chance to ask what was going on.<p>

His eyes scanned it as he mumbled. "Warehouse….docks…yada yada… Elf? They have broody?" Fox nodded her head frantically as Varric went to his night stand and picked up Bianca. "Alright, I'll go wake up Rivaini and you go down to Blondie's clinic and get him. He's usually up at this time of night and I have a feeling we're going to need a healer. Damn it Hawke, why do you have to be passed out now?" He was shaking his head and walked down the hall after pulling on his boots. He banged on the door to Isabela's room and waved to Fox to get moving. Without a word, she ran back down the stairs and out of the Hanged Man.

Darktown wasn't noticeably darker at night. Fox had often wondered how the people down here knew what time it was. But this wasn't the time to pull one of the urchins aside for questioning. She needed to get to Ander's clinic. She had only been there three times before, twice with a broken ankle and once just to talk. Normally, he was in a good mood. Except if you talked to him about mages. Fox didn't think what he was trying to do was right or wrong. She wanted a compromise between the two, but instead of voicing it, she just said she really didn't care. She looked up the stairs that were in front of her and saw two glowing lanterns outside double doors. She hopped up them, taking two stairs at a time, and threw the door on the right open. Anders bolted upwards from his desk where he was writing and grabbed onto his staff, glowing lightly.

He squinted his eyes to get a closer look at the intruder. "Oh, Fox. What brings you here?"

She didn't move far from the doorway when she answered. "It's Fenris. I think my old guild has him. We have to help him."

She heard Anders scoff as he lowered his staff and walk towards her. "Why in the Maker's name would I want to help him? Serves him right."

A fire lit up in her eyes as she stared down the mage. This was no time for a sensible reasoning. "You can't put aside your differences for one damn minute to help someone? I don't exactly agree with your ideas either, Anders, but if it were me that was captured- would you be so quick to deny me? I know what the Umbra Et Vulpes will do to him when they find out who he is. Lawrence never gave a damn about slaves, he was always too interested in profit. You say that everyone has the right to be free, Anders. Well, so does he and if we just leave him there they will send him back to Tevinter!"

Anders moved closer to Fox, looking down at her, glaring. He was nearly a head taller than the small boned elf. His eyes narrowed at the girl, the words falling out of his mouth in a harsh enough tone to train a mabari. "If you were in this situation, it would be different. You would do the same thing for me, not him. He should go back to Tevinter. It's where he belongs."

Anders stumbled backwards from the sudden impact on his face. Fox had raised her hand and slapped him.

Her eyes grew cold as she turned away from him. "No one should ever wish for someone to go to Tevinter. Especially a former slave. Goodbye, Anders. Have fun wallowing in your misery."

She started walking out the door, leaving a disoriented Anders trailing after her.

"Wait! I'm sorry. I'll help. But only because it's for you. As I recall I owe you one from back when we first met."

Fox didn't look at him, but simply nodded. "Then there is no time to waste."

Twenty minutes later they stood in the middle of the Docks. Varric, Isabela, Fox and Anders were trying to figure out which warehouse it was. The note only told them that it was in a warehouse at the docks, but didn't specifically tell them which one. Fox let out an exasperated sigh and knelt down, appearing to search the ground for clues for the hundredth time.

"I don't know what to tell you, pup-" Varric was cut off by a faint glowing around Fox. She nodded to herself and stood back up.

Anders, who had sensed a form of magic being used, looked at her questionably. "Fox, what the hell was that?"

Fox sighed, walking in the direction she was being led to. "I have some… unique abilities, Anders. I can track anyone that has touched my skin if I'm close enough to them. Let's just leave it at that."

Isabela groaned as they neared the warehouse. "Well, why didn't we just do that in the first place?"

Fox flicked her eyes towards her and rolled them. "Because it takes a certain amount of my energy to do it so I try not to use it very often. Also, I can only use it once and if we weren't very close I wouldn't have been able to sense him. Alright? No more questions. We're here." They stopped outside of the warehouse and the smell of rank fish filled their noses. Fox felt the runes in her hands start to softly pulsate. "Be careful, someone in there is a mage." Anders was about to ask her how she knew that until she opened the door.

The air was dense, thick with the promise of a fight. They walked into the larger base room of the warehouse and Fox's eyes scanned the darkened corners. "Be on your guard," she whispered lightly to her three companions. No one said anything. Fox's hand reached behind her as she removed her bow from the strap on her back. Her other hand reached for an arrow from her quiver. She nocked the arrow and brought the bow up, scanning the warehouse once more, looking for any slight movement, listening to any unusual sound. Then she heard it. A brushing sound, like two pieces of cloth being rubbed together gently. In one quick, smooth movement, she drew back her arrow and fired in the direction on the sound. A fireball was cast and burned the arrow before it reached it's destination. A figure stepped out from where her arrow was headed, dressed in a green cloak and holding a staff. His hood was down and from this distance she couldn't make out his features. The figure started clapping and walking down the path to the stairs. The moonlight started to shine on his face as he made his way down the stairs.

"Judas," she let out a low growl as the mage stepped down onto the level ground.

"Ah, Jezebel. I would have thought you'd forgotten about me. My, my. How time has changed you." His smooth voice sent shivers down her spine. It always made her nervous how he could be so calm in every situation. How he was always so at peace with killing someone. She had known him since he had first joined Umbra Et Vulpes when he was fifteen. He was just a little boy then, and no matter how much her mind protested that he was a danger, she couldn't resist helping him. He was only two years younger than her, after all. At the time, they were all just kids trying to get by.

"Where is he?" She wanted to lunge at him, to tear him apart. But she knew she had to play his little game until she knew that Fenris was safe.

Judas smirked at the concern in her voice. "Don't worry. I would never dream of hurting your elf. Your carissimi." Fox snapped her eyes to him in an angry glare. He knew. He somehow knew her feelings for him even though she barely knew them herself. Her reaction caused his smile to widen. "Oh, I touched a nerve with that, didn't I? The thought of it was nearly repulsive, especially since I've seen you wearing that trinket of yours. Of course he was surprised, as well, when I spoke to him earlier about it. I guess he didn't know. Which makes this much easier. You come with me, I let him go. Intellige?" _Understand?_

Fox scoffed at his proposal. "So you're honestly telling me you wouldn't just take us both and sell him back to his magister?" Judas accidentally let a shocked expression cross his face quickly. Fox smirked, He never was good at hiding his emotions. She didn't ask any more questions. From his demeanor she was able to tell that Fenris was still alive, and her senses told her that he was still there. She loaded another arrow, pulling back and releasing it. It caught him in his shoulder and he let out a gasp of pain. He fired a force push spell and knocked the four companions on the ground.

Varric was up first, loading Bianca and firing a bolt at Judas. He blocked it with another fire ball. He ripped the arrow out of his shoulder and went to fire another spell. Isabela got up next and sprinted towards the mage. She let off a smoke bomb as Judas swung his staff at her, only to stumble when he hit nothing. He felt a sharp pain in his back as Isabela reappeared behind him, sinking her daggers into his shoulder blades. He let out a cry of pain and used his remaining life force to fire another force push spell behind him. Isabela went flying backwards and slammed into a pile of empty crates, breaking a rib. Anders sent out a healing spell to Isabela as Fox jumped up and walked calmly over to Judas. He was attempting to pull out the daggers from his back as he crouched on the ground.

His face was forced up when Fox grabbed onto his blonde locks, yanking. "You were always weak, Judas. Always loving to torture those that were helpless. Too weak and too naïve to even see it for yourself." She brought her face close to his and stared into his dark brown eyes. "You always sickened me."

Judas looked back in her eyes, sternly. "And you will never escape, Jezebel. You will always be on the run. Anywhere you run to in Thedas, if you even stop to catch your breath, Lawrence will find you."

Fox drew her blade from the inside of her cloak and pressed it to his throat. "I'm not running anymore, Judas." She sliced it across his throat, making his blood pool onto the floor. "Is féidir leis an Déantóir tú a threorú ar do bháis." May the Maker guide you in your death. She released his hair and glided past him, her boots creating imprints with the blood. "You'll need it."

* * *

><p>Fenris awoke to a man dying at his feet. He warily looked around the room and saw carnage. The three men that were to guard him were strewn all over the place. The room was covered in blood and so were his companions. Fenris took a double take to the four people standing at the other end of the room. His companions. His Fox was here. For him? He felt a heavy feeling in his chest when he realized that Fox risked her own safety to come after him…No, this was just a coincidence. She couldn't have known that he was here. Why would she care anyway? Last time he talked to her it was an argument. No, it was just a simple coincidence. He eyed Fox as she looked around the room. She was searching for something. She was searching for someone. Fenris tried to call out to her but his throat was so parched that he could barely make a sound. He leaned back on the pillar behind him and began banging his head loudly against it. Fox whipped around to the noise and her eyes widened when she saw him. Was it out of happiness? She ran towards him and quickly cut his bindings. Fenris' eyes widened as she pulled him to her, embracing him tightly. He awkwardly patted her back, trying not to tense up his muscles too much as they hurt from being inactive for so long. She whispered softly to him, telling him how sorry she was. He merely nodded, unable to speak. "Let's get you home." Home. But it wasn't really a home was it? Not with you gone… So many things he wanted to say to her. But he couldn't. He was weak. A coward. He flinched at every touch and wanted to run away every time she would compliment him or throw in a phrase of flattery. His head spun from all the spells and blows to the head. He passed out once more, in her arms.<p>

* * *

><p>Fox was watching him while he slept. She almost lost him. Almost before she was able to tell him how she felt. She was given a second chance now, she just had to try her hardest not to waste it. She went to the stove and poured what would be her fourth cup of tea. Fox couldn't sleep, didn't want to sleep. Not until he woke up and told her himself that he was alright. Anders had already healed the wounds on his head, saying that he had no lasting trauma, but he might have a nasty headache when he woke up. She put a bit of honey in her tea and sat back down in the chair next to her bed. Anders had wanted him to stay at the clinic because even though the beds were old, they were still more comfortable than Fenris' hard mattress. Fox had suggested her place since her mattress was new and they agreed on it, carrying Fenris' limp body all the way to the edge of Hightown.<p>

Now he lay here- in her bed. Fox was amazed at how young he looked when he was relaxed like this. He looked no older than she did. Her eyes darted to the lyrium marks and a frown appeared on her face. If he was young like she thought, how old was he when he received those? Then again, elves aged different than humans. It took a long time for them to appear old. The thoughts disappeared from her mind as quickly as they came when Fenris started to stir. She hastily put the cup down on the night stand and waited for him to open his eyes.

Fenris opened his eyes to see two brilliant gray ones staring back at him. He sat up quickly, realizing he wasn't at his house. "Am I-"

"Yes. Anders said you needed a comfortable bed to finish healing properly. I knew you wouldn't want to wake up in the clinic so I offered my bed."

* * *

><p>Fenris looked around the room. He had never really been inside her house. The bedroom was lightly decorated with a smooth green rug under the bed that stretched to a foot from the doorway. The floors themselves were nicely kept and polished frequently. The walls were an assortment of different colored stones that led to a fireplace on the right side of the room. The bed was a good size with satin white sheets and a green feathered comforter. On each side of the bed was a chair and a small table with nothing on them except for a cup of tea. A dresser was next to the fireplace with lightly colored wood and green accents. Clearly something made Jezebel want to remember her past time with her guild to put their colors everywhere.<p>

"I should- ow!" His head started pounding furiously. Fox quickly got up and fetched a small vile of white liquid out of her belt pouches. She handed the vile to him. It felt cool in his hand and he looked up at her. She gestured for him to drink it. He uncorked the top of the vile and sniffed the contents. There was no clear smell to them. He brought the vile up to his lips and downed it quickly. The pounding on the back of his head started to slow down and soothed. An icy feeling encased his skull, seeming to freeze whatever pain that could have been. He barely felt any of it now.

"Better?" Fox had sat back down in the chair, looking at him expectantly.

"Yes, much. Thank you. But I should really be going. I don't want to impose myself anymore than I have to."

Fox's eyes darted down as Fenris swung his legs to the side of the bed. "Why?" Her voice was small and filled with emotion.

Fenris looked at her slightly shocked that she didn't want him to go. "I just thought you wouldn't want me here. After I snapped at you earlier, that is."

Fox shook her head and chuckled lightly. "No, Fenris. I was mad at myself for saying that. I don't know why I did. I enjoyed when I lived with you, I really did. Sometimes I just say things without thinking. I was angry at myself when you left, even angrier when I saw that you had been captured by my former companions. You should have seen how fast I ran to find you. Varric probably still has a headache from me banging on his door."

Fenris' eyes softened towards her. He wanted to reach out to her. He wanted to tell her how she made him feel. Especially now when he knew that she had come there specifically for him, that she was no longer mad at him. "Why risk yourself for me?"

She looked up at him but not fully. Her eyes would not focus on him. "Because I- I care for you. A lot. More than I have cared for anyone before. I felt a connection to you when we first met on Seheron. I did not know what it was until I saw you again a few months ago. I know you probably don't feel-" Fox let out a deep sigh. She cut herself off, unable to finish her full thought. Not wanting to make herself look like a fool.

"You need to learn to speak your mind and not care what others think."

Fox twirled her leaf trinket between her fingers, biting her bottom lip nervously. She was like a child in that way. Paranoid that exposing her feelings would make people think less of her. Make her seem weaker.

Fenris let out a heavy breath and stood up from the bed. Fox looked up at him from a lowered head as he switched views between her and the door.

Fenris closed his eyes, attempting to block out his images of her. "I have to leave." Turning away and stalking towards to door, Fenris stopped in an instant. A small hand attached to a determined woman now held him in place. "Fox…"

"Don't." Fox's voice cracked as she forced to hold back tears.

Fenris spun around, grabbing the wrist of the hand that had held him by his arm. He pinned her arm against the wall, sending the small woman with it. Trapping her body with his, creating an almost cage to pin Fox against the wall with his body, he brought his face inches away from hers. "I thank you for saving me, even though it was your fault. But I don't know what you want from me, Jezebel. You act like you want me to leave but you beg me to stay? I can't-" He released Fox from his hold over her and stepped back, lowering his head. "I don't understand, Fox. Every time I think I get close to grasping the truth to why you act the way you do around me… you run away from it. You have given me some words to consider, I'll say that, but I can't stand these secrets. Learn to speak your mind because I'm not speaking it for you. I'm done attempting to chase something that obviously wasn't meant for me." Fenris turned away again, getting to the door handle before he heard a small squeak.

"You're wrong."

He placed his forehead against the door and closed his eyes. "Do I dare ask what you meant by that?"

Fox pulled herself away from the wall, shaking her finger at the backwards elf. "You have been the one pushing away from this. Not me. You're the one that runs away at every touch, every passing glance. Just because I have a difficult time saying something that I have never spoken allowed to anyone does not mean I'm running away. I'm trying as hard as I can, Fenris, and you do things like," she waved her arms dramatically in the air, "this."

Fenris scrunched his face up and gritted his teeth. He slammed his fist against the doorframe before ripping the door handle open and storming out of the room. Fox cringed as she heard the front door slam shut.

* * *

><p>Back and forth. Forth and back. Fenris stalked about his room like a caged animal. Unable to contain his anger anymore, he took one of the upholstered chairs and slammed it against the stone wall. The front legs snapped from the impact and fell to the floor. He went to the broken pieces and picked them up, ready to hurl them into the fire. Fenris stopped for a moment, his eyes fixed upon an object on the floor. Dropping the pieces of wood, he walked over to the corner where his door was and bent down to get a closer look at this foreign invader of his home. He had sworn that Fox and him had cleaned up this area of his house. He picked up the object, examining it closely.<p>

It was not his. No. He would have recognized it. Besides, he didn't fight with these. Perhaps it was Varric's? No. He used bolts, not arrows. He turned it in his hands, the jagged tip tightly bound to the wooden staff. The wood was foreign to him. He had only seen it once before in his time at Kirkwall. The Vhendhal tree. Fenris stroked the light crow feathers at the end of the arrow, remembering the story that Fox had shared with him.

Fenris shook his head, attempting to rid the thought. He turned back to the fire, about to toss this reminder of their argument into the coals where it would be exterminated forever. But that would just be another way of running, wouldn't it? If Fox's words were true, then it was him to really blame. He had admitted to himself privately, that he knew of his tendency to run away and cower when there was something he was unfamiliar with. But was this really one of those situations? Fenris huffed, stuffing the arrow into a loop on his belt. Grabbing his sword, he made his way to his door.

* * *

><p>He cracked the front door open slowly. The study was dark as the dim embers of the fire died down. Fenris adjusted his eyes to the cloak of blackness and stepped within the home of the fox. He closed the door behind him silently, his bare feet barely making a noise on the polished hardwood floors. He stopped as he got to Fox's bedroom door, holding the knob. <em>I shouldn't be here. She doesn't want me to be here. I don't deserve to speak with her- <em>He shook his head, ridding himself of the thought. _No. I am not running. _

He turned the knob and threw the door open. His mouth was ajar, ready to explain himself until he noticed the figure laying in the bed, eyes closed. He stood in shock in the doorway, debating whether or not he should move forward or pretend like none of this happened. With a shuddering deep breath, he stepped lightly towards the bed where Fox laid. The moon shined through the open shades next to the bed, highlighting her still form. He stood now, on the side of the bed, staring at the almost unrealistic image of drew his eyebrows together, puzzled at how the half-elf looked while asleep. She appeared almost frightened as she scrunched a pillow between her arms for comfort. Almost inaudible whimpers escaped from her as her face changed from peaceful to distressed. Fenris hovered his hand over her shoulder, wondering if he should disturb her in such a state. Instead, he moved his now un-gauntleted hand to her high cheek bone, stroking it with a calloused finger. She lashed out, striking his hand but he didn't pull away. "Shhh. Jezebel." He knew what it was like to have a bad experience in the Fade. Often he had been in the same state as she was now with no one to tell him it was alright. He winced at the memory, now walking to the other side of the bed. Fox called out in a groan as the weight on the bed changed, now holding two bodies. Fenris stayed above the covers and reached his hand to hers, touching it lightly. His body stiffened as Jezebel clutched his fingers in her small hand. Fenris wasn't expecting any returned contact. She turned, still grasping his hand, and dug her face into his chest. His breathing stopped at this new warmth. He attempted to shift away but was followed by the small body. He laid on the edge of the bed, a half inch before falling off completely, like a board; unwilling to allow himself the comfort of being that close to Fox. He heard another murmur and looked down to see a pair of eyes staring at him.

"Mmm… Fenris?"

With a jolt, Fenris toppled off the bed. His back hit the floor, knocking the wind out of him. He grasped his chest, attempting to catch his breath. Hearing a shift on the bed, Fenris opened his eyes to see the other pair staring back at him.

"What are you doing in my bed?"

"Actually, I believe I'm on your floor."

Fox scoffed and shook her head, her hair falling forward and dangling in the air due to her current position. "If you aren't here to apologize than I'd rather just have you leave."

Fenris let out a small growl but caught it before Fox heard him. He cleared his throat, deciding that his pride was going to have a big blow on it tonight. "I- I apologize for how I acted earlier. I hope you will forgive me for being such a fool."

"If I didn't forgive you, I would have done more than startle you off the bed."

Fenris let out a small chuckle and smiled lightly. "This is true. So what do we do now, Jezebel?"

"Now," she shifted her position to a more comfortable one on the bed, "we sleep. There's no point in you going back so late at night so you can stay here."

"I don't think-" Fenris' was yanked up by the female and pulled hard onto the bed. He pulled back from her, almost falling off once more. "This is inappropriate-""Good night, Fenris." Jezebel climbed back under the covers, ignoring the elf's words.

After a few moments, Fenris heard the soft sounds of steady breathing from his… what was she to him exactly? He sighed and slowly shifted off of the bed, making sure not to wake the sleeping woman on the bed. Fenris felt around on the floor, making sure there were no objects in his way, and laid down on the cold hardwood. It was not something he wasn't adjusted to. Some nights at his mansion he chose to sleep on the floor next to the fireplace instead of his hard mattress. Within minutes, Fenris was asleep as the events of the day got to him.

He found himself startled once again from his sleep as a warmth came over his back. He turned his head slightly to see the still figure laying next to him, a blanket was draped over them both. Fox's arm draped over his waist, and he took her hand carefully in his before resuming his now peaceful rest.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N- Time jump warning and changing of timeline warning. Also, this is when the M rating comes in slightly. Just saying. POV changes between Fenris and Fox again. I really enjoy it and have no complaints so far… so that means I will continue doing it! Mwhahaha. -cough- If you haven't noticed, Jezebel and Fenris seem to get into arguments quite easily. Their personalities sort of clash as they are both hard-headed and stubborn. I know that, from experience, this is a difficult thing to get around and can cause quite a bit of tension.**

***This chapter contains very little fighting. More for the purpose of progression and insight to their "relationship".

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**The Wolf's First Demon**

The night was warmer than normal. Kirkwall wasn't the coldest place in Thedas, but it usually didn't get so warm in the middle of fall. Perhaps it was the fact that she had the fire going. Maybe it was because she had just drank a hot cup of tea fresh out of the pot. Or maybe it was because of the body that had inched towards her just a few moments ago. Fox turned her head to her right to see the lyrium warrior with his eyes closed and breathing evenly. Since that night six months ago, they had shared the same bed, … um… floor, a few times a week. At first it had started out as an accident, a few drunk nights that had started out in Fox's foyer to which Fenris was too drunk to take the walk up to his own house. Slowly they became a regular occurrence. He still slept more at his own house than hers, but she cherished these nights no matter how few they were. Every month for the past six months they had slowly been inching closer to each other. Neither of them wanted to get too close, as fear for invading the others personal space. But neither of them wanted to stay away. Now they lay a few inches from each other still holding hands like they had never let go that night when they had allowed themselves to be more open with each other. She had never questioned why he didn't prefer the bed over the floor, they were just getting closer now and she didn't want to push him away any further.

For the last two months, Fox had been drinking a cup of tea before they went to bed so she could stay up a little longer to watch him sleep. She had become fascinated by his peaceful state since she started waking up in the middle of the night and looking over to see the elf sleeping next to her. He was so much younger than she had first thought he was. His lines of anger were smoothed away to reveal a refreshingly peaceful face. But then there were his nightmares.

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><p><em>Danarius sat on the edge of his bed, admiring his new-found toy. His smile was one of sick lust and power hungry. He found the elf utterly attractive in every way possible. When he had applied the lyrium markings, he had applied them everywhere. Right down to his length. Danarius' eyes glistened in hunger for the perfect elf's body as he ordered him to remove his armor. Fenris complied, unlatching his breastplate and sliding off his gauntlets. Fenris was used to this by now. Whatever his master wanted, he received. Even if it were his own flesh. Fenris knew that this nightly ritual was not just for simple pleasure, it was for power. Because Danarius had etched his skin so deep, the lyrium filled his blood. Every liquid inside him was tainted with the lyrium, especially if it had a direct line of it on it. Including his length. Fenris was a lyrium producing machine for Danarius. Whether it was through his blood- or other things- he gave his magister power. Danarius often punished him by activating the lyrium within his skin, making him feel the same pain that he had experienced when he received his markings. This punishment was usually given when Fenris would not 'stand to attention' for him. He did not know why his body did not comply to what his master wanted, but it did not matter. When Danarius took control of his markings, he took control of his body. Now he lay on the bed, waiting for his master to withdraw some of his lyrium. But once again, his body would not participate. He felt the burning of his markings take over him, like the sharp stabs of a million needles in each of his pores. Danarius forced his length up and made him grab himself while he hovered over him, about to partake in another part of this dark ritual. About to do his way with the elf. Fenris closed his eyes until another surge of pain overtook him. Danarius liked his little wolf's eyes. He liked to watch them as he forced himself within the warrior. When Fenris opened his eyes, another pain surged through him. This time, not done by magic, but by the body of his master.<em>

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><p>Fox awoke, startled by the screaming of her bedmate. She should have been used to this by now, but every time he started crying out in his sleep, she could not rest easily until he calmed down. She never knew why Fenris would scream out and toss in his sleep, still holding onto her. She felt sort of a connection to the little wolf since, she too, screamed during her trips to the fade. She knew how important it was to have someone support them during these nightmares. A few times she felt Fenris' grip tighten around her hand, not wanting to let go; not wanting to lose the feeling of the real world. Fox reached her left hand up to her side table, which she had assembled out of a step stool for the floor, and grabbed onto a powder. She had learned it was best not to wake him up quickly when he had almost ripped her heart out a few times upon awakening. Whenever he realized where he was, he quickly apologized and Fox would just laugh it off. But she never really found it funny. It scared her. It scared her to know that something was terrifying Fenris so much that he would lash out at her. So one day, she went over to Merrill's home in the Alienage. Merrill was great at entropy so surely she would be able to come up with something that could slowly awaken someone. It took weeks of research and gathering of ingredients before the powder was concocted. Fox took a pinch of the gray powder out of the pouch and sprinkled it on Fenris' head. The powder glowed faintly and dissolved into his scalp. Fox waited.<p>

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><p>Fenris awoke drearily again. He was happy to be out of his dream, but unhappy to see that he had once again been sweating. When he sweat while he slept, he knew that he had been screaming. He looked at Fox and saw that her gray eyes were slightly closed as she looked at him. She was tired. Had he… had he awoken her with his screams? He hoped he didn't. He hoped that she had woken of her own accord. That he wasn't the reason for her to be awake. Fenris hated the fact that she was able to see and hear him in such a weakened state. "Jezebel, did I wake you?"<p>

She saw the outline of her face crease into a small smile as the last embers of the fire died. "Unfortunately, yes. It was quite alright. I had just fallen asleep."

Fenris felt himself frowning and rubbed his thumb over her hand. "I apologize. I didn't mean to wake you."

Fox squeezed his hand lightly to reassure him. "Like I said, Fenris, no harm done. Maybe one day you can tell me what frightens you so. Until then, I will endure whatever you need me to until it is resolved."

Fenris had a sunken feeling in his chest. _Had I really never told her what I dreamed about? Jezebel. My Fox. _The person he wanted to protect the most, he had been lying to. Not completely, just not revealing things about himself like she had done with him. No, he would tell her. "Jezebel, I-" He felt the soft plush of lips against his, one of the few luxuries he and Fox had allowed themselves during this dance of a… relationship? They were chaste, yes, but still beautiful nonetheless.

He felt the affection slip away as he kissed back and saw Fox laying back down on her pillow. "Good night, Fenris."

Fenris used his free hand to pull the comforter over Fox's shoulders. He sighed and closed his eyes once more. _Maybe I'll tell her tomorrow._

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><p>Hawke, Varric, Fenris and Fox were passing through the arches that marked the entrance to Kirkwall. Hawke had taken up a small job to retrieve some ingredients for a potions maker in the Gallows. During their walk, it had been abnormally quiet. Fox ran up to the front to catch up with Hawke as he scanned the ground for plants. "Hawke, don't you think-"<p>

"Halt! You are in possession of stolen property. Give us the slave now and you shall receive mercy!" The group looked up to see a mage on a cliff and slavers surrounded them. There were about ten in the group and armed with crossbows and swords. Hawke looked up at the lead slaver with stern eyes.

"We will not give you him!" Hawke barked at the man.

"Fenris is a free man!"

Fenris eyed Fox, slightly shocked at her outburst. Then he looked back at the lead slaver, feeling more confident that his friends were going to back him up.

"One last chance to surrender the slave!"

"I am not a slave!" Fenris growled at the man, his lyrium marks lighting up wickedly as the mage waved his slaver comrades to attack the party. Varric slung out Bianca and loaded a bolt, Fenris unsheathed his sword, Hawke whipped out his staff and Fox pulled out her blades. In a few moments, they were all on each other.

Fenris had been cutting his way to the mage that led the group. Hawke was summoning various fire balls and lighting bolts to hit their opponents from afar. Varric shot bolts accurately into a few of the slavers skulls. Fox had been fighting with one of the slaver rogues. He had disappeared after throwing a smoke bomb at her and reappeared behind her. His thrusts were off so he only managed to sink one blade half way into her back until she twisted around and slit his throat with her own blade. The man fell down before her and she quickly ran over to her next victim.

The fight ended with Hawke freezing the last slaver and Varric shooting a bolt through it, making him shatter. Fox watched as Fenris walk over to the mage that was now lying on the ground. He grabbed him by the hair and spoke to him in a low tone. Fox cringed as Fenris' face started to seethe with anger. She shuddered when he snapped his neck and walked back over to them.

"Hadriana is here. Hawke, we must go after her now while she still remains close by. I know where she is hiding."

Hawke nodded, understanding. He looked back to Varric and Fox. "What do you guys think?"

Varric shrugged in response. "Bianca is always up for more fun." Hawke acknowledged his answer with a small smile.

He turned to Fox. "And you?"

Fenris looked at Fox with hope and fear mixed in his eyes. "Of course I will go. You didn't even have to ask me."

Hawke looked back at Fenris. "Then we better go while there is still daylight." Fenris smirked and trailed behind the others as they turned to go up a path that Fenris had directed them to. He looked ahead at Fox and doubts started to fill his mind. _She shouldn't be going_. Fox turned her head to him and decreased her pace to allow herself to fall back with Fenris.

"What's the matter?"

Fenris scowled not really wanting to have this conversation. But he knew that she would prod him until he gave up what was on his mind. Especially since he lectured her about speaking her mind "I don't think you should be going."

"And why not?"

"Because Hadriana is powerful. I don't want to see you-" He stopped himself before he could finish.

Unfortunately, Fox wasn't slow to catch on. "See me get hurt?" She stopped Fenris by grabbing onto his arm, lightly. He wouldn't look at her. He knew she was strong enough to help them face Hadriana, but something inside of him screamed to protect her from his past.

He let out a sigh and forced himself to look in her eyes. "Yes. She is not someone that we can just charge in and slay. Hadriana is dangerous and one of the worst blood mages I have ever seen. She will get into your head and torture you until you give in."

Fox narrowed her eyes at him. "I can take care of myself, Fenris. I've been taking care of myself for a long time now. Your concern is noted but unnecessary."

A twinge of pain crossed Fenris' face. He did not want her coming. At all. Especially if he faced Hadriana. He was going to rip that bitch's heart out and he didn't want his Fox to see him like that. Yes, many times she has seen him rip out people's hearts, but never out of pure anger and hatred. That was a side Fenris did not want to reveal of himself. "No."

Fox looked like someone had slapped her across the face for a moment. Then her eyes grew cold and she glared at the elf in front of her. "What do you mean, no?"

"I will not allow you to fight Hadriana. I can not allow my problems to become yours."

"Because my problems haven't ever affected you?"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point, Fenris?" He didn't answer her. His stare was hard but his heart was pleading for her to leave. Fox put her palms up and shook her head. "You know what? Fine. Do whatever you want. I'll send Isabela to meet you guys." Fox turned around and headed back down the path leaving a sad wolf behind her. When she was out of sight, Varric and Hawke walked up to him.

Hawke placed his hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright? Do you want to talk about it?"

A flash of anger phased over Fenris' face as he shrugged off the mages hand. "No." His voice was stern but weary. He knew he did the right thing by sending her home, even though it hurt him for her to go. His mind and his heart were too conflicting. Too confusing. Fenris was unsure of which one to follow. He turned back to Hawke and nodded his head towards the path. "We should move on. Isabela will be joining us shortly and I want to get there before Hadriana has any warning." Varric sighed and rubbed his temples. Hawke took the lead once again and traveled up the mountain.

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><p>A rage seethed over her. The only thing that could cure it was to stab something. That's why the wall in the foyer looked like a mabari went to town on it. Merrill sat on the small couch, flinching every time the woman would throw one of her knives into the wooden wall. "Um, Fox… I'm really sorry about what happened- but can you please stop killing the wall? I don't think it did anything."<p>

Fox shrugged and threw one last knife into the wall before settling down next to the blood mage. She had found Merrill wandering the streets in Lowtown while walking from the Hanged Man to inform Isabela of the situation. Isabela attempted to reassure her that he was doing it because he cared too much about her but she brushed it off and left. She invited Merrill to come to her home as well as Aveline. Fox had bumped into her while she was patrolling and Aveline insisted to know why she was so upset. The past few months had lessened the tension between the two, but there were still many unanswered questions from Aveline about what Fox's previous profession was. And she was not a woman who liked being in the dark.

So she sat now, next to the mage, while the Guard-Captain had settled herself into one of the chairs facing the couch. "Alright. You haven't spoken since we got here. What's going on Fox? Does this have to do with Fenris?"

Fox sighed. Sometimes she really hated the way Aveline was so perceptive. Merrill on the other hand, was a little more dense. "Why would it have to do with Fenris? He's not here, is he?" Merrill looked around expectantly, wondering if the elf was going to pop in at any moment.

"No, Merrill, he's not. Which I believe is why Fox is so upset."

"Oh. Why would she be upset if Fenris wasn't here?"

Fox watched this conversation, rolling her eyes. "Maybe Fox would be a little less upset if you stopped talking about her like she wasn't here!"

Merrill mumbled an apology as Aveline let out an exasperated sigh. "Well then, tell us why so we don't have to keep talking like that. Either that or I have to explain to Merrill why him not being here would make you upset. And you know that would take a long time."

Fox smirked as Merrill cocked her head to the side, confused. "Alright, fine. During our walk we encountered some slavers sent here for Fenris."

Aveline shook her head in utter disbelief. "Slavers? Here? I never got any reports about that."

Merrill placed her hand over her mouth to cover the gaping hole that had formed on her face. "Oh no! Is he alright?"

"Yes, yes. He's fine. Or at least I hope he is. We managed to kill the slavers and Fenris got information that his former master's apprentice was here. We started to take off in the direction that she was hiding but Fenris decided he didn't want me going. He told me that I might fall prey to her magic." She picked off lint from her gloves, even though there was none there.

She kept her head down even as Aveline spoke to her again. "And how did you react to this?"

Her shoulders slumped as she let out an irritated sigh. "I got angry at him and stormed off."

"Fox, I'm sure that he didn't mean to make you angry. Though he does seem to get a kick out of making everyone else mad." Fox grunted at her and shifted her feet.

"Oh I think it's alright. I believe everyone has stormed off because of Fenris once in awhile. Except Hawke. He always manages to deal with him. I don't know how he could though, he is impossible to talk to about elves."

Fox glanced over to the rambling elf and shook her head lightly. "What should I do? I'm angry and hurt because he doesn't think I'm strong enough to handle the situation."

"Well, I don't think that's what he intended."

Fox lifted her head up and looked at the red-headed guard. "What do you mean?"

"I believe, in Fenris' own messed up way, that was him showing you that he cared for your safety. He cares about _you_, Fox. A lot more than I've seen him care about any one or anything besides himself."

"Ooooh. Is that why whenever she turns away he looks at her with these big, sad, puppy-eyes?"

Fox scrunched her eyebrows together, confused. "What?"

Merrill went to ramble on some more until Aveline held up her hand. "What I think Merrill is trying to say is that everyone can see how much he cares about you. Maker knows why Fenris does the things he does, but it is clear that whenever you around him he changes."

Fox raised an eyebrow at her. "Changes how, exactly?"

"Well, for example, the last three months he has never argued with Anders in your company. Whenever the mage tried to start anything with him, Fenris would walk away or just ignore him. That's a big step from when he first started working with Hawke."

"Hmpf. I suppose."

Merrill had been pondering while Aveline and Fox spoke. Her eyes twinkled when she thought of something to say. "You know, I think by the way he acts around you and looks at you that he might be-" The door opened, cutting Merrill short and startling the three women. The lyrium warrior stood in the doorway, his gauntlets still dripping with fresh blood. He looked around the room and spotted Fox.

Aveline stood up and took Merrill's hand to get her to come as well. "We will talk more later, Fox."

"Goodbye, Lethallan."

Fox gave a short wave to her friends and looked up at Fenris as he walked in and stood in front of her.

"I- I wanted to apologize for the way I acted earlier."

"Yes, you should."

"It's just that… Hadriana is a cruel woman. She used to torment me, deny my meals and hound my sleep. I didn't want you exposed to that. I didn't want you exposed to what I was going to do to her."

"Fenris, I've seen you kill many people before. Why should this be any different?"

He sat down in the chair previously occupies by Aveline. "Because, Jezebel, this was not me killing for survival. This was me killing because I let my hate for her control me. I didn't want to kill her, but I did. I didn't want you to be exposed to this… animal that I am."

Fox got up and walked over to Fenris. She knelt down and cupped his face in her hands. "You are in no way an animal, Fenris. If wanting revenge over someone that ruined your life is being an animal, than I am one too."

He placed his bloody gauntleted hand over the one cupping his left cheek. His eyes softened as he took in her words. "You will never be an animal."

"Neither will you." Fox stood up, still keeping her right hand on his face. "But don't ever do that to me again. I have faced dragons, crazy blood mages, Qunari, rock wraiths and my own clan members with you. I will not back down so easily next time."

Fenris stood up, taking her hand off of his face and letting go of it. "I was protecting you." Fox scoffed and went over to the wooden wall, pulling out her knives. "I don't need protection, Fenris." She hears his feet against the floor as he stepped closer to her. A strange metal clank onto the hardwood followed.

"But I have a need to protect you."

Fox turned around and leaned against the wall, placing her knives back into the slots on her belt. She raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "What could you possibly protect me from that I can't handle?" Before her eyes could adjust, Fenris was pressing her against the wall- his mouth to her ear.

"Me." She was about to make a cocky remark about how she had beaten him once until he kissed her neck and nibbled on the skin. She let out a gasp in surprise at the elf's sudden need for contact. He had taken off his gauntlets and ran a hand up her side, the other one holding her face as his lips trailed up her neck and made contact with hers. She felt him pushing his tongue against her lips so she opened her mouth slightly, allowing him access. She moaned at the taste of his tongue as they fought for dominance. It tasted of sweet wine, blood and- lyrium. Yes. There was a faint taste of lyrium. Fox only knew what it tasted like because many times some had gotten into her mouth when she had to remove a cork from a poultice with her teeth to help her companions during a battle. The bitter taste of the lyrium traveled down her throat and shot through her body, making her moan lightly. She was about to suggest going into the bedroom, until her hands and calves started pulsating.

Fenris pulled back, sensing something had gone array. "Did- did I do something I wasn't suppose to?"

Fox chuckled lightly, hiding the fear that overwhelmed her during the sensation. "No, but something happened to my runes when you kissed me."

Fenris raised an eyebrow at her, slightly confused. "But we have kissed before and nothing happened."

"Well before it wasn't like that. We have always kissed each other chastely. But when you…um… did that just now I felt something happen to my runes." Fox led Fenris over to the sofa and sat down next to him, still feeling a slight pulsating in her skin.

"What happened?"

"I could feel something changing in them. It was like they were feeding off of you and morphing."

Fenris looked horrified at the thought that he had 'fed' her runes. "Is this- bad?"

Fox shook her head unknowingly. "I don't know. It didn't feel bad. Why do you taste of lyrium?"

"I-I taste like lyrium?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, just a little. Perhaps your markings make it so you produce it?"

Fenris looked away from her, remembering that she still didn't know about what happened with Danarius. "They do. Danarius used to use me to gain more power. He said that every liquid inside of me contained it. I did not know that meant my mouth as well. Perhaps that is why I can only taste sweets. It counteracts the bitterness."

"But I see no cuts on you for any blood rituals."

Fenris sighed, still not looking at her. "That's because he didn't get it from my blood. He- he got it from other places."

Fox's eyes widened as a horrid thought entered her mind. "Is- is that why you scream at night?"

Fenris nodded his head and looked towards her, though his eyes were still cast down. She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed his head lightly. "Don't be ashamed of it, Fenris. It doesn't happen anymore. And it never will again, not if I can help it."

"But even so, I somehow still affect you. I don't know if this will harm you in any way and I really would prefer not to find out. I don't want to risk your health for my selfish need for happiness."

"Fenris, nothing bad will happen. I swear it. If it would have harmed me, I would have sensed it. All it did was make my runes pulsate a little. I will be fine. It wasn't a bad thing."

He lifted his eyes up to her, the emerald green in them shining as the fire flickered off of them. "How wasn't it a bad thing?"

Fox kissed his forehead again and pressed hers against his, looking him in his eyes. "Because, strangely enough, I felt… like I was being cleansed. Like the filth in my blood was filtering through the runes and being cleaned. It was only for a brief second, but in that second I had felt better than I ever had in my entire life."

Fenris smiled lightly, his eyes beginning to droop as the aftermath of the battle hit him. "Then, maybe we can try this again some time. Until then, I must be heading home." He went to move but he felt himself being kept down by two hands on his shoulders. "Jezebel?"

"Stay with me tonight, Fenris."

He was taken aback. They usually did not stay with each other again after one night. "A-are you sure?"

Fox nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him. "Yes. After today I really just need to be reassured that you're not going to leave." Fenris nodded and kissed the nape of her neck.

"Then I will stay tonight, if that is what you wish. As long as we agree that we will not 'find out' what it is that I do to you tonight."

Fox pulled back and smiled at him. "Of course not. Now come on, let's go scream in our sleep together!" Fenris rolled his eyes and laughed as the small woman jumped up and began pulling the warrior to their bedchambers.

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><p><strong>Sort of short, I know.<br>But the next chapter has another time jump, so I couldn't incorporate the two to make it longer.**

**Also, I won't be updating as often from now on. Perhaps once every few days to once a week. This and previous chapters were a revision, therefore I had them already (mostly) typed up and ready to go.  
>The next chapter is only about an eighth done so far.<strong>

**Next up- Chapter 9: Keegan**

**^ Remember him?  
>I'd also like to give a shout-out to BubblesScream who has reviewed almost every one of my chapters and added this story to her favorites.<br>Thank you very much for the support. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- If you haven't noticed by now, I don't follow the canon storyline exactly. There is a reason for this and you will catch on to it, especially if you remember the conversation between Varric and Cassandra.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9:<strong>

**Keegan**

Some time had passed since the night with Hadriana. What had been an awkward moment between the wolf and the fox turned into their chains. The fear of what would come of their union blanketed them. They tried to conceal their angst, but it was clear to the others that they were drifting apart. No longer did Fenris spend the night over Fox's home. No longer did they meet in the market to walk one another over to the Hanged Man. There was no sign of even their late night discussions over a bottle of wine. Fenris had even denied several reading sessions with Hawke when people started noticing the tension that fell over him when he was around Fox. Hawke was a determined mage, however, and was the only one unafraid of the former slave's angry tendencies.

Hawke made his way into the crumbling mansion, stepping carefully over the dead bodies of what would have been trespassers. He trudged up the stairs, avoiding the weak boards that he had fallen through so many times before. The door in front of him was partially open, revealing a sliver of light from the blazing fire inside. Hawke pushed the door open slowly, allowing it to creek to let the owner know of his presence. He saw a shadow move back and forth across the wall. Hawke stepped into the room and made his way over to the pacing elf that was now in view. Fenris ignored Hawke's entrance, lost in his thoughts. The brown-haired mage cleared his throat loudly to attract the elf's attention.

Fenris stopped his pacing and glanced over at Hawke. "Can I help you?" His voice was calm as he tried to hold back some pent-up aggression.

Hawke stepped forward and placed his hand on the back of one of the wooden chairs that was pushed underneath the table. "No, I'm here to help you. Remember?"

Fenris sighed and lowered his head as he turned away, looking over to the blazing embers gently nipping at the pieces of wood and paper under them. "Hawke, I-"

"Fenris, you have skipped out on the last three sessions. You have been refusing to work for the past month-"

"You don't understand-"

"You have been ignoring the knocks on your door. Hell, I had to get Isabela to pick your lock so I could come in. I don't know what's going on with you Fenris but-"

"Venhedis! Will you let me speak?"

Hawke was taken aback by the sudden outburst but waved his hand for Fenris to continue. "As you wish." Fenris turned back around and grabbed onto the chair opposite the one Hawke was leaning against. He pulled it out and plopped down in it, sinking his head in his hands. Hawke followed his lead by sliding out his own chair and sat down in it after wiping a light cover of dust from the seat. He patiently waited until Fenris tilted his head up, uncovering just below his eyes. Fenris scoffed and shook his head before sitting straight-backed like he normally did. He attempted to focus his attention on the apostate mage, but couldn't seem to make eye contact.

Instead, he allowed his eyes to slip away, and stared once again at the fire on his right. "Hawke… what do I do?"

Hawke spread his hands. "It would help if I knew what you were talking about, Fenris." The elf began to shake his leg up and down, glancing back and forth between the fire and the scruffy mage.

He placed his hand on his knee to keep himself still and sighed, finally locking his eyes onto Hawke's. "Between… Between Fox and I." Hawke arched his eyebrows and let out a deep breath. He wasn't expecting Fenris to be so open with him without a lot of prying first.

Hawke thought for a moment, wanting to choose his words carefully before answering the angst driven Tevinter elf. "Fenris, whatever is going on between you two is not really my business. One thing I will say though is that I believe you need to put whatever differences you have aside and talk to her, not me."

Fenris lowered his eyes and began picking at his metal gauntlet. "I don't believe that will solve our problem in particular. It's not that I do not wish to speak with her, it's more that I'm afraid where it will lead to." Hawke opened his mouth to ask what he meant when he was interrupted by loud bangs coming from the first floor. Fenris jumped up and quickly grabbed his sword that was leaning against the table.

"Fasta vass!" Fenris hissed under his breath as he headed towards the door, the mage, drawing his staff, on his heels. Hawke slammed into Fenris' back when he didn't realize the elf had stopped dead in his tracks. He mumbled an apology before peering over the balcony at the new disturbance. A small elven girl was fumbling with a painting that she had appeared to knock on the floor. She spoke almost inaudible words to herself, appearing to be completely engulfed in her task. Hawke heard Fenris curse again as he headed down the stairs.

He followed quickly to make sure that no unneeded confrontation occurred. "Merrill, how did you get in here?"

The former First to the Keeper jumped up in shock. "Oh! Hawke you scared me!… again. Have you ever thought about wearing a bell?"

Fenris shot a dark look at the blood mage, clearly annoyed with her presence. "Do I have a sign on my door that says 'Welcome, apostates, to my home- Please feel free to barge in at your convenience'? Next thing I know that damn abomination is going to-"

"We didn't come here for you, elf. We came here for Hawke."

Fenris' muscles tensed as the renegade healer walked into the room from the entry hall. "_Vishante Kaffas_. Do you know any decency? You intrude into my home and expect me not to get involved? You're even more of a fool than I originally thought."

Anders sneered distastefully at Fenris. He stepped closer to the elf, pointing his finger at Fenris' chest. "Now you listen here, Lyrium-boy, I-"

The clunk of armor was heard as the door opened and closed. The three mages and the warrior turned towards the entrance. A red-haired defender walked through the archway, a distressed look in her eyes. "Oh Maker, please tell me that I didn't just walk into another one of your arguments."

Anders backed away from Fenris and nodded his head at Hawke and Merrill. "No, Aveline, we were just leaving. Weren't we?"

"Actually, we're all leaving. Now." Aveline spoke as if she were commanding her guardsman to attack.

Hawke held up his hands and blinked a few times, trying to process everything that was happening. "Wait. Where are we going?" He turned to Anders who had placed himself next to Merrill. "And why were you two looking for me?"

Merrill went to speak but was interrupted by the guardswoman. "It doesn't matter now. Varric has something important he wants to talk to us about at the Hanged Man."

Anders drew his eyebrows together, a crease forming on his forehead. "Wait. We just came from the Hanged Man. Varric wanted us to get Hawke."

"_And_ Fenris. Hawke and Fenris. The dwarf figured you wouldn't tell Fenris to come so he sent me when I arrived there a few minutes after you two left. He was going to send Isabela, but she seemed to disappear as well."

Fenris stepped forward, annoyed that he was being left out of a conversation in his own house. "As well? Who else is missing?"

Another bang was heard from the entrance way and two figures stepped through the threshold, past Aveline. The shorter of the two spoke, the humor that was normally there was faint. "Andraste's dimpled butt cheeks, how is it that a simple 'come hither' request is taking half of the day?"

Varric ran his hand through his hair and lightly pulled on his ponytail. The other man spoke, his Starkhaven accent thick, making his words sound like a purring kitten. "I do not believe it is wise for us to squabble about why we are not somewhere else. Isn't it important enough that we are all together now?"

Varric sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose the Choir-boy is right."

Hawke looked around the room for answers. When no one spoke he burst out, his voice louder than what he had intended. "Why do we need everyone here?"

Fenris raised an eyebrow, peering over at the distressed Hawke. "I would like to know that answer as well."

The dwarf chuckled lightly. "Well, if you haven't noticed, not _all_ of us are here. And that is exactly our problem. It seems Fox and Isabela have gone off the charts. None of my informants have-"

"Fox… is missing?" Fenris croaked out his words, his throat unnaturally dry as the horrid statement pierced his ears.

""Yes, as well as Isabela. None of Varric's informants have seen anything and neither have any of my guards." Aveline shifted uneasily, feeling pity for the elf that stood across the room from her.

Sebastian walked up to Fenris, his voice low enough so only the elf could hear him. "We will find her, Fenris. Don't you worry."

Fenris snarled. "I don't need your condolences. I also don't understand why we are still here talking about it when Fox could be in danger!" He shoved past Sebastian and trudged through the over-used entrance way.

"And Isabela, too… right?"

Varric followed quickly behind Fenris, the rest of the group on his heels. "Yes, Daisy. Isabela too. But just don't mention it to Fenris."

Hawke looked perplexed as they hastened out the door. "Wait, I just saw Isabela about an hour ago."

Varric peered up to his mage friend. "Do you know where she went?"

"No. When I turned around to thank her for unlocking the door, she was gone."

* * *

><p>Fox looked out to the coast warily. She lifted her hand up to shade her eyes from the setting sun glaring off of the water. A year and a half had gone by since she first step foot into the Free Marches. Within that time, she had grown fond of her new companions; her new friends. Another had joined the little group by the name of Sebastian Vael, Prince of Starkhaven. Fox remembered the glaring look he gave her when she snickered at his formal title though he did not even hold his land. Her and the Prince got along better than she first imagined they would. She was not a strict Andrastian to say the least, but she was the only one in the group that respected his views and actually went to the Chantry to be blessed and have a confessional on a regular basis. When Sebastian noticed this, he had asked her why she was so devout. Fox told him the story but brushed off his attempts to get her to become a priest. Even Grand Cleric Elthina shook her head at the boy. Fox had given up that dream far too long ago to look back now.<p>

And that's what she was doing now. Not looking back. Isabela stepped next to her, a spyglass in her hand that she had folded up after peering towards the water through it. They were silent for a few moments, watching a ship sail close to the coast.

* * *

><p>Fenris ran down the back alleys of Lowtown, Hawke, Anders and Varric at his heels. The girls and Sebastian went to search Hightown and Sundermont with a group of guardsmen. "Slow down, broody! You don't even know where you're going!" Fenris heard the faint voice of the dwarf and slowed his pace, but not by much.<p>

Hawke and Varric grabbed onto Fenris as soon as they caught up to him. He halted abruptly, turning his head towards his friends and casting off their unwanted hands. "Is there a reason we should be stopping?"

Anders trailed slowly behind them. "We do need to breathe, you know."

Fenris snapped, turning around abruptly to the mage. "I'm just trying to make up for lost time that _you_ made us waste by not telling us the situation in the first place!"

"Me? You're the one who almost ripped my head off because I supposedly 'invaded your personal space'."

"Ladies, please. There are more important things that we should be doing. Like, I don't know, finding two missing rogues?" Varric shook his head and began walking towards the exit of Lowtown that lead to the Wounded Coast. The other three men looked at each other, surprised by the dwarf's sudden leadership skills, and trudged after him.

Hawke caught up to the waddling man. "Why are we going towards the coast?"

"Because my informants already said there has been no activity at the docks. So I suspect if we are to find anything, it would be on the coast. Caves are cheaper than warehouses, Hawke."

"You actually think they rent out the warehouses?" Anders snickered at Varric's implication.

"Well, how else would the harbormasters get double the amount of sovereigns that they usually would if they were running an honest business?"

"You actually know how much they make?"

"Just because I don't go to the Merchant's Guild meetings, doesn't mean I don't know what the merchants are doing, Blondie."

Anders shook his head in amazement while Hawke chuckled silently beside him. Fenris didn't notice the conversation as he frantically scanned the surrounding area for any sign of passage.

* * *

><p>"Do you really want to do this?" Isabela shifted her body uncomfortably as she watched her friend tie up her supply sack.<p>

"What other choice do I have?"

"I don't know. You could come back with me to the Hanged Man and we could laugh about this over drinks."

Fox scoffed, allowing her disproval to shine through while keeping a small smirk on her face. "You know that doesn't work on me, Isabela."

The pirate sighed and crossed her arms. "I just don't get it."

The former-assassin shrugged, swinging her pack over her shoulder. "What don't you get?"

Isabela moved towards a large rock next to the shimmering waters of the Waking Sea. She sat down gracefully, crossing one leg over the other, and stared at the approaching ship. "Why you would go through all this trouble of getting coin, buying a home, decorating it, making friends, falling in lo-"

"Don't use that word." Fox snapped at her and narrowed her eyes at Isabela.

She shook her head at Fox and chuckled lightly. "The more you deny it, Foxy, the more you know it's true. But what I was going to say was that I don't understand why you would go through all of this," she spread her arms to indicate the past year and a half, "just to decide to leave it all behind like it never existed."

Fox raised her eyebrows at the woman, shocked at her statement. "Really? You of all people don't understand? The woman that sails the world, never leaving behind any regrets; the woman that beds a different person every night just for a taste of something different; the woman that-"

Isabela held up her hand, laughing. "Alright! Alright, I get it. I just figured that normal people would, you know, be a little more hesitant than you are."

"Isabela," a smile appeared on Fox's face as a spark of amusement twinkled in her eyes, "at what point did you believe that I was ever normal?"

"Oh hush, you."

The two women shared a brief moment of silence, sharing only a smile, as a man was heard calling out orders to his men to lower a boat into the water.

* * *

><p>Fenris couldn't stand it anymore. The more signs they saw of people walking up the coast, the more eager he got to move faster. But the others were taking their sweet time exploring all the little corner, picking herbs and searching dead Tal-Vashoth bodies for trinkets. He saw the signs, too. A footprint here, a piece of cloth from the pirates clothes that was torn by bushes there. The only sign he didn't see was the sign of a struggle. Where were they headed? Why wouldn't they tell anyone? Fenris got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "If that pirate wench is doing anything with her, I'll-"<p>

"What?" Hawke looked back at Fenris, a perplexed expression on his face.

Fenris had not noticed he had spoken his thought and quickly tried to push it away. "Nothing. Let's move quickly. The sun is almost down and it's nearly impossible to track in the dark."

Hawke nodded his head and looked to Anders and Varric. "I agree with Fenris. Whatever is going on we need to stop it quickly."

"She probably just wanted to get away from _him_." Anders mumbled under his breath.

Unfortunately for him, Fenris' ears were not just for show. He soon found himself gasping for breath as a metal gauntlet wrapped around his throat. His back hit the hard rock surface that made up a wall of the coast. "What did you say, _mage_?" Anders pulled at the hand around his neck, his eyes faintly glowing blue as Justice dared to escape from him.

Hawke whipped around to the scene and signaled Varric for help. Fenris was about to phase through Anders' throat and rip it out until he felt himself knocked back by a bolt of lightening. Anders went to lunge after him before he discovered he was pinned to the rock wall by a bolt courteous of Bianca. Hawke put away his staff, glaring at both of the child-men before him. "Both of you! Your little feud isn't what matters right now. If neither of you can behave yourself until we find Fox and Isabela then you can just go on home and Varric and I will take over. Got it?"

Fenris got up without a word, grabbing a dagger that he discovered during his fall that looked vaguely familiar, and joined the rest of the group. Anders pulled the bolt out of the rock and his robes, silently complaining about the new hole that he would need to patch up when he got back to the Clinic.

"Well, alright then. Let's move on. I think I see something a little farther down."

* * *

><p>"Your ride awaits." Isabela bowed slightly, like the night they had first met, and swung her arms to the small boat being handled by two sailors.<p>

Fox rolled her eyes and chuckled at this memory. She returned the small, sarcastic, bow. "Thank you, Isabela. I don't know what I can do to repay you. You're really sticking your neck out for me."

"Oh no, Foxy, don't worry about it. I'll deal with Hawke later. I think he will understand."

Fox's eyes grew distant. "It's not Hawke I'm worried about."

"I'll deal with him too, sweet heart. Now you go. If I know sailors, they won't wait forever. Oh, and if I also know sailors, keep your quarters locked until you dock."

Fox chucking again and shook her head, the two heading for the small boat. Fox stepped into the boat, attempting not to fall do to the swaying waters, and sat down in the middle. Isabela waved her hand as the men pushed the boat into the sea. "Goodbye, Jezebel. Don't die on me. You still owe me a round!"

"It's the other way around! And don't get into too much trouble without me, Captain Isabela."

The pirate smiled, touched at the formal goodbye, before shaking her head and turning back to the rocky trails of the Wounded Coast.

* * *

><p>The four men ran down the coast as they saw the ship heading out and Isabela walking towards them. Fenris crashed through the others before grabbing onto Isabela's arm, shaking her. "Where is she?"<p>

Isabela yanked her arm away from the elf and continued her walk up the trail. "Gone."

Fenris looked out to the ship that was sailing into the now faded sunset. His voice was small as his shoulders and head slumped downward. "Gone?"

Varric turned to Isabela, who was now halfway up the trail. "Rivaini! What do you mean gone?"

The pirate waved her hand above her head, not bothering to look back. "I mean she's gone. She's not here anymore. Fox is no longer on this land. She is traveling elsewhere. What else can I say to describe it?"

Anders looked at the sulking elf who had not moved an inch. His eyes adjusted to the ship that was now far off in the waters. Hawke followed Anders eyes to land his on the vessel that carried his companion. "She's on the ship? By her own choice?" Hawke looked back up the trail for an answer but was greeted only by the site of a rock wall. Isabela was nowhere to be seen. He moved down to Fenris, who was palming a dagger that was foreign to his normal weapon choice. "Fenris, I'm sorry."

A flash of pain went across the elf's face as it scrunched up. He bared his teeth and clutched onto the dagger so tightly that it began cutting into his gauntlet. Fenris did not turn to Hawke when he spoke. He did not open his eyes. He merely stood there, wishing that there was more he could have done.

Hawke turned and motioned for Anders and Varric to come with him. Fenris would be fine on his own to travel back to the city. As they got out of earshot, Anders turned to Hawke. "Where do you think she went?"

Hawke sighed, his eyes cast downwards. "I don't know, Anders. My guess would be just as good as yours."

Varric looked up at his friend, a bland look replacing his usual quirkiness. "Three sovereigns says that Broody knows. We could ask him later." Hawke just shrugged in reply. No other words were spoken between the three as they traveled back to the City of Chains.

* * *

><p>Fox stood on the edge of the boat, looking towards the horizon. She shifted her feet to find that the weight was off in one of her boots. Bending down, she lightly touched the hidden pocket. Her eyebrows drew together as the ship captain came up next to her. "<em>Avanna."**<em>

"Ha. I was hoping you knew the language. Blasted harbormasters up there always try to swindle me out of coin because I can't understand them."

Fox nodded her head once. "Well, I should know it. I lived there long enough. I'll do you the favor of translating, if you wish."

"Good." The captain stood their for a moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry for poking my nose where it don't belong, but you look a little down, serrah. Something troubling you?"

She shifted her feet once more, registering the problem. "I seem to have lost my dagger along the way to the coast."

The ship captain waved it off, not knowing how important it was. "Ah, I have plenty that you can get to replace it right on board. You'll be fine. Leaving something behind is the best way for people to remember you."

Fox smiled lightly, leaning against the railing of the ship. "So it is."

The captain patted her lightly on the back and slipped a small note to her. Fox opened it cautiously and peered in. She stopped when she heard footsteps approach her from behind.

"No need to read that now, dux Mois. I decided it would be best if we had the voyage together instead of me meeting you there."

Fox turned around, a small smile creasing her face. "Keegan. So good of you to join me. I hope I won't be knocked out again?"

Keegan laughed lightly and shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. But I can if you wish me to. I hope after our brief letters you understood why I did that, yes?"

"Mmm. I was afraid at first you had decided to join Lawrence."

"If I did, then you would be dead right now, no?"

Fox let out a small laugh at the banter of her and her old friend. "Yes. I suppose I am lucky that I'm alive."

Keegan handed Fox a small mug of ale, keeping another for himself. He held it up, a grin widely spread across his face. "Na via lerno victoria."***

Fox nodded and smiled lightly at the gesture. She raised her mug up and tapped it against Keegan's. "Na via lerno victoria."

* * *

><p><strong>**Avanna means "hello" in Arcanum.<strong>

***** Na via lerno victoria means "Only the living know victory." in Arcanum.**

**Any guesses to where she might be going?**

**I think it's fairly simple to see.**

**But don't you worry, I wouldn't end Fenris' and Jezebel's relationship THAT easily**

**Now would I?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N- Since I haven't said it in a while- Bioware owns all of Dragon Age and Thedas. They own all canon characters and plotlines. I own Jezebel Fox, Umbre Et Vulpes, and the code of Umbre Et Vulpes in my profile. Screwing with it all just makes me giddy.**

**This chapter will be going between where Fox is and what's going on with Fenris and the gang.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**The Bitter Taste of Freedom**

"So Fox _did_ leave. But you say that the elf stayed behind?" Cassandra grew perplexed at the way the story was heading. She had been listening intently, analyzing every detail the dwarf was giving up. "How do I know you aren't just making it up? How would you know what happened when she was out of the Free Marches?"

"There were letters after a time from her. And she didn't disappear completely, we did see her once after she took off. But you're right, Fenris did stay behind."

Cassandra waited for Varric to continue with the explanation but none was given. She huffed and eyed the dwarf with curiosity. "But he didn't stay for long, did he?"

"He stayed just long enough to find what he needed."

"Can you elaborate?"

"How about I just continue with the story?" Varric waved his hand nonchalantly, indicating that he was going to do just that anyway. The Seeker nodded her head, reluctantly, and allowed the beardless dwarf to tell his tale. "Now, let's see. Where was I?" He tapped his large, broad finger to his chin and smirked lightly. "Ah. I was just getting to the part when Fox made a side trip and, around that time, we encountered some trouble with a Warden that you may have heard about."

* * *

><p>"You what?" Fenris looked as if he was going to tear the pirate to shreds. Isabela merely sat there staring at her cards, twirling a lock of hair between her free fingers. What she hadn't noticed, however, was that Varric and Hawke had placed down their cards and stared at her as Fenris confronted her.<p>

Isabela glanced around the table and sighed heavily, placing her cards face down in front of her pile of silvers that she had accumulated from a vast amount of cheating. A few weeks had passed since Fox had boarded the ship and Isabela was just now revealing her part of it, despite much prying from her comrades. "Don't get all huffy with me. It was her choice. I didn't force her on the damn boat."

Fenris clenched his fist, attempting to control his raging emotions. "You didn't even _try_ to stop her, did you?"

The pirate queen crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back in her chair, avoiding the gaze of the angry elf that was standing next to her. "And what did you expect me to do? Beg and plead for her to change her mind? She would have left sooner or later. Don't blame me for letting it be _sooner_ rather than later. Fox came to _me_ with the letters, not the other way around."

Sebastian perked up from his chair at the corner of the table and cocked his head off to the side. "Letters? You didn't mention them before."

Isabela bit the inside of her cheek, silently cursing at herself for adding that not-needed information. She stood up abruptly, causing the group to give her perplexing looks as she made her way to the door. "I need a drink."

Fenris stepped in front of the door, placing himself between her and the bar downstairs. "Sit."

Isabela stammered back at the command but planted her feet firmly and looked at him with hardened eyes. Nothing came between her and her booze. Hawke saw this change and stood up, swiftly striding towards her. He placed a hand on her arm and pulled her back to her chair gently. "I think it's best if we hear everything without the twist of alcohol to your words."

"Fine, but you're buying after this interrogation is over with." Isabela huffed and plopped down in her chair, crossing her right leg over the other. Hawke resumed his place next to Merrill and Anders, waiting patiently for the answer to Sebastian's statement.

Aveline, who was across from Hawke, twitched impatiently. "Just tell us about the damn letters!"

"Calm down, big girl. I'm getting to it. My throat just seems a little," she touched the base of her neck and coughed lightly, "parched."

"_Isabela…" _Fenris growled warningly.

"Hmph. Well you can't blame a girl for trying. Where was I?" She placed her forefinger and thumb on her forehead, pretending to concentrate.

The group roared her name and she laughed at them. "You all need to take a joke. But, ah yes. The letters. About a month ago Jezebel had shown me some letters from one of her old comrades… oh what was his name? Ken? No. Keith? Um…" Her eyebrows drew together, trying to remember the name of the man. "Korin?"

"Keegan." Fenris hissed to her, not amused at the game she was playing.

Isabela snapped her fingers together and waved her index finger drastically. "Yes! That's right. Keegan. Well, apparently they had been corresponding for a little while before then and she wanted to know if I knew any way for them to meet."

"And of course, you did." Anders drawled, running his finger around the edge of his water glass.

"Well, yes. She believed it was time to finally take some advice that some other," she looked accusingly at Fenris, "person had been saying for themselves. She was going to face the tiger."

Merrill tilted her head off to the side, slightly puzzled. "But why would Fox take a boat to see a Tiger?"

"Oh, Daisy. I'll explain it to you later." Varric eyed Isabela curiously. "So she went to go face this Lawrence fellow, I take it?"

Isabela merely nodded and the group fell silent for a few moments. Anders lifted his head and looked around the unnaturally quite room. "Shouldn't we go after her? She is still our friend, after all."

Hawke shook his head sadly at the healer. "No. Unfortunately, the Qunari still haven't left Kirkwall and it's making the Viscount nervous so he wants me to stick around. He believes that I may be the only one that can help, which is typical nowadays, isn't it?"

Fenris gnawed on his bottom lip nervously as the others tried to think of something they should do, anything they could do. Which was his job. He knew he should be the one coming up with a daring plan of rescue, not Anders and not Hawke. He should be the one going after her. He should be the one to help her… but that would require going back to Tevinter, if he guessed right, and Fenris wasn't ready for that yet. Even though he stopped running, he wasn't sure if he was able to face the tiger at his back yet. Going back to Tevinter would mean that he was declaring a war between him and Danarius, and the magister could not resist that temptation. No. He had to stay behind, but it ached even still.

"What about if some of us go to find her?" Sebastian looked over to Hawke. The apostate contemplated the idea for a few moments but shook his head warily.

"No. We can't afford that. If this is to get serious, we need every able body that we have to help out."

Isabela shifted in her seat after stealing Aveline's untouched mug, which warranted a sharp glare from the Guard Captain. "How serious do you think this is going to get, Hawke?"

"I don't know, Bela, but if the Qunari keep refusing to leave like they have been…" He sighed, not even wanting to complete the thought.

The rest of the conversation that night wasn't any more uplifting. They spoke about how possible it was for the Qunari to go berserk and some new assignments Hawke had been sent at his home. They all decided to call it a night, agreeing to meet in the morning to discuss a distressed letter from a woman named Delilah Howe.

Fenris left the Hanged Man in a confused and angry state. Even though he didn't disobey Hawke's orders about staying in Kirkwall, someone should have. _Someone_ should have just got up and left then. _Someone_ should have known that this was too dangerous for Fox to do by herself. Someone, but it wasn't him. He cursed to himself, not realizing where he was headed. He had been storming through Lowtown and to the edge of Hightown, but instead of going directly to his own mansion, he ended up outside of Fox's old home. He went to back away, but something made him stop. Fenris pulled out the dagger that he had found a few weeks back and eyed it curiously. He looked up to the markings on the doorframe, that were left there by the visit from Judas, and back down to the dagger. In small, fine print, there were words etched into the surface by what looked like a dull object. _Ei vento nai mordoi deid. _Slowly, Fenris moved his mouth to sound out the Tevinter words, knowing fully that he only knew how to read a little of the common language, but he applied what he had learned to the etching. "Eee ven-to n-eye more-doy de-ed." His eyebrows drew together as he repeated it over and over until it became clearer. _I don't want to kill you. _The carving on the doorframe was not in the same style as the dagger. Someone else left that message for Fox, and she was baiting right into it.

But Fenris had not realized this yet. He couldn't recognize the different styles of writing, the way the carving on the door held more decorative swirls and cleaner etched lines… and scorch marks around the letters created by too much heat contact. He simply placed the dagger back in his belt loop and walked inside the house. Fenris traveled through the still decorated home, inhaling the scent of freshly waxed floors, and crossed into the bedroom. He stood at the edge of the bed, staring down at it, before taking the blanket off and laying himself down on the floor.

* * *

><p>Fox tapped her finger against the wooden railing impatiently. The captain, Arnold, decided it would be a good idea to make port for a few days before heading to Tevinter. She looked out at the horizon, that they were growing closer to, and groaned bitterly to herself. Fox was startled slightly as Keegan appeared next to her. "You know, we followed you here after some time. We were hoping that you had stayed." He scoffed and then followed it by a short laugh. "Should have known better than to think you, of all people, would stay in one place."<p>

Fox forced a small smile on her face. _Yes. That does seem to happen, doesn't it? Always running to something new, something different. I'm no better than Isabela._ But she wasn't running anymore. In fact, she was going backwards.

A loud boom of a voice rose above the crewmates. "Land ho!"

Fox gripped the railing tightly, staring at the small city now clearly in sight. Smoke rose out of chimneys as the citizens got ready for dinner. Children were playing near the docks, using sticks and pieces of string to pretend like they were fishing. Harbormasters shooed the children away as the small vessel that they were aboard got ready to make port. The crew went to work, unraveling ropes and hooking them to buckles on the railings. They tossed the rope out to the dock handlers, who used long wooden rods with hooks at the end of them to fish the rope out of the water before grabbing onto it. Three men per rope. Twelve men in total. They pulled the ship in, the captain using the wheel to steer it into the small space. Orders were shouted from him to ravel the sails back up. A dull thud was heard as the body of the ship bumped against the docks. "Watch my damn ship, ya blighted bunch o' Darkspawn piss." The Captain grumbled, before ordering his men to lower the docking board.

Keegan turned and strode towards the dock. He stopped and turned, grinning. "You coming, Jez?" Jezebel nodded and followed her friend.

* * *

><p>He hunched over, his hands clutching onto his stomach. A few shuddering heaves and it was all over with. Sweat had formed on his brow as his throat let out a few more silent gags with no progress of easing his sick feeling. It wasn't like him to get sick at the sight of blood, even this thick black mass that was pooling around him usually didn't make him even take a second look. Before he had gotten himself into this current position, he was having trouble with his vision. Everything around him had swayed without cause. He could feel the abomination's eyes as they bore into the back of his skull. He placed one of his hands down on the cold hard stone gravel beneath his shoeless feet and pushed himself up slowly. Fenris swayed and staggered as he attempted to straighten himself. He felt an arm around his shoulder and a head push itself under his arm. He glanced over to see Hawke trying to help him. "What are you doing?" His voice was unsteady and quivering under his weakened state.<p>

Hawke looked at him sternly, a frown creased his forehead. "Helping you, that's what." With a gentle pull up, Fenris was able to ground himself. Hawke didn't move from his position. "Are you sure you will be able to continue? We're still close enough to the surface that you can-"

"No. I'm fine." Fenris slipped from Hawke's grasp, concealing the pain that was still surging through his stomach. Hawke caught his wrist making him freeze in place. Fenris turned a blind eye to his daring attitude and yanked his arm away from the mage. Before he knew it, Nathaniel and Anders were upon him as well.

"At least let me check you out." Anders was already tired of arguing with the man before he even began.

"No." He simply stated, tired of people being so concerned over nothing. He turned to Nathaniel and nodded his head towards the cavern that they were meant to blow. "We should be going. Those darkspawn may break through at any moment."

Nathaniel went to say something but Fenris had already started to head out after un-lodging a small knife from a darkspawn. He and the others fell back a bit while Fenris scoped out the surrounding area. "Is he always this difficult?"

Hawke sighed and shrugged. "I suppose it's gotten worse since-" He was cut off as Fenris appeared to perk up and turn his head slightly to him. _Blast those damn elf ears._

Anders scoffed, "Well if he wants to walk around in pain, that's his damn problem. I just want to get out of this tainted hole before anything worse happens."

Hawke peered over at the healer and raised an eyebrow. "How do you know he's in pain?"

"If I may interject- not to be so blunt and all but," Nathaniel shifted himself awkwardly as eyes swooped towards him, "for a mage, you're not very perceptive."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Hawke was taken aback by the statement and placed his hand on his chest melodramatically.

"I apologize. I believed I was around someone a bit more clever than you are. You have a very similar personality to someone I know in Amaranthine."

"Am I not clever enough for you? Shall I whip out a book on the elven nature so I may be able to read all the signs that Fenris throws out and completely misinterpret them?"

Nathaniel shook his head and waved him off, stepping towards the entrance that Fenris had wandered into. "I already get enough of a smart mouth from the Commander. Let's just move on."

Hawke nodded, satisfied that the conversation was over and he was able to retain some former pride of his 'wit'. Anders jogged to keep up with them, stepping gracefully next to Nathaniel. "How is the Commander?"

He shrugged and rolled his eyes. "She's been going on a fit since her lover said he wouldn't be able to make it this year for her birthday. Let's just say I'm happy to not be at the Keep right now. Place is probably being destroyed. And we were just getting a lot of the repairs done, too."

"The Commander has a... lover? Isn't she married to the King?"

Nathaniel chuckled, "You know royalty. Only ever marry for convenience. But that's politics and I really don't want to get into it."

"Can you just, ah, please tell her I'm not here. I didn't exactly leave on a good note."

"If you think I'm actually going to gossip, then you have me mistaken for someone who cares."

"That's enough you two. We have a cavern to blow." They had reached the room just as the door was being smashed down. Darkspawn poured in like an overflowed river onto the bank.

* * *

><p>Jezebel sat gratefully on a crate and stretched out her legs. As soon as she had gotten off the boat, she fell to the ground due to her transitioning from "sea legs" to "land legs". Everything still appeared to be moving in front of her, so she closed her eyes, trying to calm down the swaying feeling in her stomach. She stripped out of her green cloak as the afternoon sun bore down on her back. Jezebel felt the dangling charm around her neck rest easily on her chest. She fingered it lightly, almost ripping it off when Keegan's voice startled her.<p>

"Why do you still wear it?" He had taken off his cloak as well, revealing the dark tunic that he wore under it. His shaggy brown hair had grown quite a bit in length over the years, causing him to tie it back in a ponytail. His clean shaven face made him look more innocent than he was. He stood there patiently for her answer.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean." Jezebel attempted to play it off, not really wanting to get on the subject as she felt her stomach in her throat. She always felt sick after a trip in a boat.

"Don't you evade my question, Jez. You know what I mean. Why would you still wear something from someone you have sworn vengeance against?"

Jezebel sighed and let go of the object. "I suppose I wish things would have been different."

"Wishing does not change what has happened and what you need to do, no matter the circumstances. You used to say this to me all the time during my training. How did the mighty Fox become such a little puss?" Keegan crossed his arms and sternly peered down at his former leader.

Jezebel growled lightly. "When did you become so cocky?"

"When you gave in to your wishes and stopped looking at the facts. Lawrence is not going to go away. He's not going to take you back in and apologize for all of this. We have to kill him, Jezebel. There's no other way. I thought we went over this in the letters."

She looked down at the trinket, her eyes softening at the memory. A glimmer of hope still remained after everything she was put through, and she was not letting go of it. "There's always another way, Keegan. Death is not the answer for everything."

Keegan moved towards her and stretched out his hand. "Give it to me."

Jezebel clutched onto the charm and stared him down. "Why?"

"Because the longer you have it, the longer you are going to keep wishing. Now hand it over."

"Keegan, I-" She couldn't keep it down any longer. She hunched herself over and began heaving on the dock. Keegan patted her back, gently slipping the charm off and placed it into his pocket. Her stomach clenched in an almost unbearable amount of pain as it emptied. After a few more gags and heaves, Keegan helped her up and she stumbled warily around the pile she had just created. Her hand hovered to her chest, as they walked towards a nearby inn. "You…you took it?"

Keegan nodded sternly, his eyes focusing on the path ahead. "I'll give it back when I have my old Fox back." Jezebel roamed her eyes around the familiar city as she was being half dragged by Keegan. The buildings were colorful as bright pastels were washed over the masonry and neatly piled straw acted as the roofs for all the buildings. The stones of the road laid like tile, each with it's own intricate design. The banners for the shops were made of a tough cloth with a silk overlay to make them appear like they had a more delicate look. The buildings stretched out from a straight road to a circular plaza. She could hear the bustle of the merchants, not quite being able to translate them as they spoke too fast for her ears to catch. They reached a two story building that appeared slightly more decorative and kept than the ones beside it. A woman was beating a sheet on a balcony above them. She spotted the two and waved her hand frantically before running back into the building. Keegan opened the door and guided Jezebel inside the Inn.

The woman that they saw run back inside the building was standing at a built in counter at the front of the room. What Jezebel would normally put on the floor as carpets, were hung from the walls to add a comforting aura to the room. Drapes hung in the doorways instead of a normal hardwood slab of wood. A blue silk cloth was draped on the desk, topped with a fountain pen and a large book, presumably full of names of guests. A wide smile spread across her face as the two approached her. The woman had her dark brown hair tied back in a tight bun, a handkerchief tied around her head. She wore simple but a lavish amount of jewelry around her wrists. Her skin was the dark olive color of someone from Rivain, but her choice of a simple cut-off blue dress screamed "Antivan". Her accent was thick, making her enunciate her words harder than they needed to be. "Welcome to Rialto!"

The woman's smile didn't stay long as an earth shattering explosion shook the halls of the inn. Glorious paintings and tapestry fell from the walls and crashed down on the imported pine wood floors. The inn keeper let out a shrill scream, ducking under her counter as her fountain quill spilled ink over her desk. Keegan and Jezebel looked at each other and quickly turned around, flinging the door open. Across the panicking crowd and towards the docks, was a smoking ship. A panicky captain attempted to dive into the water after it, but was held back by his crew. The ship tilted upwards, gaining water in the lower deck on the back, before slowly descending into the depths of the harbor. Keegan did not turn to Jezebel, he merely stood there, his eyes glistening with anger and disbelief. "Still think we can _talk _this out?"

* * *

><p>Fenris leaned against the stone chair, his previous illness had passed some hours back. Varric was shaking his head as he looked down at his notes. Merrill was giggling at a comment Hawke made to her about the graceful way she casts a spell. Hawke looked up to his dwarf friend after whispering something in the blood mages ear that made her face heat up like fire. "What's the matter?"<p>

Varric made a small groaning noise as he closed his book. "Just a request that came in. I was just going to throw it away. Doesn't look like it's worth our time."

Hawke leaned forward on the table, his elbows against it as he used his hands to support his head. "No, no. Let's hear it."

The dwarf let out a heavy breath and opened his book back up. He flipped through the pages, quickly scanning the chicken scratches. "Well, it's not going to be for quite a while, but it seems that a man is requesting help in finding an assassin that was seen traveling this way. He says that he would meet anyone that is willing to help in Hightown outside of the Blooming Rose. That's if the assassin comes in this direction, that is."

The mage grunted and furrowed his hand through his hair. "How long away do you project this to be?"

"Eh. A couple of months at best. The letter was stamped from Rivain."

"How did they hear about me all the way up there?"

Varric shrugged and closed his book again. "They didn't. It was a general announcement that Corff got. He read it and passed it on to me. So, what do you think?"

"I think," Hawke took a swig of his drink, "that we will see in a few months. Until then, let's focus on this Qunari thing. I got a letter today from the Viscount requesting me to meet with the Arishok about a problem that he's having. Apparently, the big guy asked for me personally."

Merrill giggled and placed her hand on the apostate's arm. "Well, you do leave an impression, Hawke." This made the mage grin wickedly as he heard Fenris scoffing in protest to this blatant display of affection. He continued using a whet stone to sharpen his already hair-splitting blade.

Varric looked over to the elf and leaned his chin into his hand. "Want to say something, Broody?"

Fenris glanced up from his task and placed the sword and stone aside. "Yes, actually. Why would we want to help an assassin?"

Varric sat back in his chair and grinned as he folded his hands together. "We helped Fox, didn't we?"

Fenris stood up abruptly, grabbing his sword and strapping it to his back. He went to the door and grabbed on to the knob. "It's not the same thing." He yanked the door open and slammed it behind him, leaving Merrill slightly puzzled at the sight.

She looked over to Varric, who was wiping some dirt off of his boots. "I don't get it. What did you say?"

Varric chuckled as Hawke patted the hand that was still on her arm. "Fenris is just a little bitter, Merrill. Nothing to be concerned about."

"Oh," she looked down at the table and back up at Hawke, "like those berries that your mother tried to make a pie out of?"

Hawke's smile spread wider, recalling that failed baking attempt as he kissed her cheek lightly. "Exactly so."

* * *

><p><strong>Thought I would let that hang there.<br>****Yes, I'm aware that I'm out of the timeline, but HUSH  
>This is my story, after all.<br>So things are obviously going to progress a bit differently  
>Because who wants to hear about the same quests over and over again in the same time frame?<br>That's just boring.  
>Anyway, please review. Or, if you wish to speak to me about the story, you can message me.<br>I accept both criticism and praise. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**The Message**

It was dark. Too dark for her to make out anything. For all her damn elven blood, she had not inherited their keen eyesight. For all she knew, she could be stumbling right into a trap. Of course, there was no reason for it. But it made Jezebel paranoid nonetheless. She slowly crept along the wooden floorboards, her bare feet making only the slightest of sound as they padded against the surface. She felt her body stiffen as Keegan's snoring muffled, but regained control once she heard a light cough and the snoring continue. Her nightgown was brushing up against her skin as she made her way over to the door. Silently, she slipped her boots and cloak on and crept through the door.

A sigh escaped her lips as Jezebel closed the door behind her. Keegan would not allow her to investigate the scene at the docks earlier which made her grow suspicious. It might have been a sign of overprotection, as he was afraid of another explosion or someone waiting to kill her at the docks in case she wasn't on board. But she could not resist the curiosity of seeing the wreck for herself. She stealthily made her way down the hallway and the stairs only to have herself frozen in place as a heavily accented woman cleared her throat. Jezebel spun to face her, clutching her chest in utmost horror. The woman raised a thin eyebrow at her and regarded her choice of evening wear questionably. "Might I get you something, messere?"

Jezebel waved off the woman. "No no, I was just going for a stroll."

The woman tapped her chin, a small smirk creasing her lips. "I see. In the middle of the night, with no lantern and creeping down my hallway like a cat?"

"W-well, you see I-" Jezebel fumbled her hands together, "I was just trying to not wake my Husband, you see. He doesn't like me going for walks without him. He thinks I'm going to run away with some merchant." She let out a force but nervous chuckle. "He's a bit jealous and this is the only time I get to be by myself." She looked down at her boots nervously, praying to the Maker her act was working. Keegan had come up with the idea that they should pose as husband and wife on their honey moon, as to not create suspicion as to why two well-armed foreigners have appeared in Rialto and their ship had just exploded. They bickered like an old married couple as it was, so it wasn't exactly hard to pass off.

The woman's smile remained as she gestured towards the door, bowing slightly. "Well, then, you better be on your way, messere." Jezebel thanked her and quickly turned towards the entrance, strutting across the plush carpets. Before she was able to open the door, the woman gave her pause once more. "They pulled the ship out of the water. It's a few hundred yards east of the docks." Jezebel turned to question the woman, but she was already walking up the stairs, saying something else that made Jezebel's mind race as the woman waved her hand. "Jaiden sends his regards."

Jezebel huffed and open the door, the cool night breeze hit her face, soothing the redness caused by frustration. _Damn that woman._

* * *

><p>"Well, I'm sure the Arishok will be just delighted to know that he was right… and wrong." Varric picked up some of his more usable bolts that had merely bounced off the mercenaries armor.<p>

Merrill was coughing uncontrollably, still trying to wave off the affects of the poison gas. She still managed to struggle out a side comment to Hawke, who was helping Aveline search the bodies. "These poor people. What did these elves do to deserve this?"

"I don't know. But I'm wondering why my guard didn't inform me that he was shutting down this section." Aveline wandered over to the stairs, looking up at the makeshift barrier before snorting in disgust.

"What a waste." Fenris shook his head as he looked down at the corpse of a deranged female elf that had inhaled too much of the gas. He did not regard the elves in the Alienage with any form of respect. In fact, he was completely repulsed by them. Wallowing in their filth, satisfied with their rolls in life and blaming the _shems_ whenever something went wrong. That was their entire life. Never once did he see an elf try to make something of himself. Never once did he see one do as he pleased or go against what was expected of him. It disgusted him to the point where he was actually reflecting on Sebastian's words about him being an "idol" of sorts to elves. _Me, an idol? Someone drank too much of the Chantry wine. _He made a small "humph" and turned away from the body and back to his comrades.

Hawke walked over to Merrill, and hung his arm lightly around her, squeezing gently. "Come on, let's get moving. We're going to have to tell the Arishok what happened here." He pulled Merrill away from the sight and had the others follow in his lead.

Aveline grunted as she fell behind in his step. "Yes. I have a few questions for him, myself."

Varric shook his head and chuckled. "If you weren't obligated to behave yourself, Aveline, I think you would have more than just 'words' with the Arishok."

Aveline snickered at the sly comment, knowing how true it was.

They passed the guard, who congratulated them on their success and saluted his Captain. Aveline turned a sharp eye to him, warning him of a long lecture that was to come. He gulped and stepped back as they passed.

They made their way through Lowtown and to the docks without much trouble. The gangs were still having trouble reforming after their previous encounter with Hawke and his comrades a few years back. Very few dared to challenge the man without a heavy amount of people to swoop down upon them. Though when Hawke unleashed a firestorm, the men jumped into their own peril. Therefore making the term 'swooping is bad' a common one outside of Ferelden. The group stopped at the compound, encountering two Qunari guards. Hawke stepped up to one of them saying that he had news of who stole the powder. The guard turned him away, claiming that the Arishok could deal with the business once he was finished with his rest in the morning. They parted ways, concluding that this was as far as they were going to get that night, and headed home. All except for Fenris, who made his way to the abandoned house on the edge of Hightown.

* * *

><p>The night wasn't over for Jezebel. It was just beginning. The cool crisp air of the night was a drastic change of the heat that overcame Antiva during the day. She hugged her arms against herself as she slipped in and out of cover, careful to avoid the hanging lanterns on the light posts that lined the road. She didn't know if anyone was watching her, so she moved like they were. She would disappear in the shadows only to reappear on the other side of the road. Again and again she did this, wary of her heavy breathing. Finally, after nearly twenty minutes, her feet hit the soft sand of the beach that was just off of the docking area.<p>

The lighthouse brought a little more clarity to the beach. Within a few minutes after roaming her eyes along the stretch, she spotted a large vessel, half dragged onto the beach. Jezebel made her way over to it, trying to steady her footing on the uneven surface. It was a lot bigger than she expected it to be. She knew half of it was concealed by the water when they were riding on it, but she never expected it to be as massive as it was. It would put the legends of Asha'bellanar to shame. She could hear the creaking of the wood as the sea salt dried, already beginning it's decay. Strands of seaweed still hung from the holes in the side, most removed by an obsessive Captain. The entire stern of the ship was… missing. Jezebel crept inside the hole, the stench of wet powder overwhelming her senses. The only other time she had encountered that stench was when she went to Hawke's home and an explosion occurred, caused by Sandal. It turns out he was playing with some raw lyrium and powder he had found in the Deep Roads. Half of his room had gone up, only to be put out by a quick ice spell cast by Hawke.

Jezebel snapped out of the memory when she saw a faint glow out of the corner of her eye. As she grew closer, her runes pulsated, wanting her to reach out to the light. She resisted her own limbs as she saw what it was. Lyrium. Her runes began to bulge out of her shins, even her palms were having a difficult time controlling themselves. She screamed out in pain as they tried to flea from her body, to go towards the source of power. The power behind the explosion. She crouched down, trying to control herself, and hugged her knees tightly. "Wha- what is this?" She had never experienced such a raw desire for Lyrium before, except on one occasion. When she had kissed Fenris. Jezebel struggled as she felt her body being pulled to the source, her nails scraping against the tattered boards of the ship. Her world spun as she grew closer, until she finally went blank. Darkness consumed her as she passed out on the broken ship, her body still pulling her forward.

She felt herself being awakened as a bright light shined through her lids. Muffled voices were barely penetrating her haze. Jezebel felt drugged, her limbs heavy and her eyelids the weight of two ogres. Slowly, the voices began to have more clarity. The one speaking now had a thick Orlesian accent. Another, with an Antivan accent was arguing with him. The Orlesian was barking something at the Antivan. "We can't bring her back! You know this. Look what happened when she was left unchecked!"

The Antivan grumbled. "But if we don't, they will suspect something is wrong. We can't let the plan crumble now. We're so close! All of it will be wasted if we don't wait."

Orlesian scoffed, his footsteps growing closer to Jezebel's body. Her heart pounded as she readied herself for action. "Fine, we will do it your way. Help me with her body, then." Orlesian reached down and grabbed onto her arm, but was thrown down as he did so. The small girl had sprung up and grabbed onto the man's wrist. She forced her weight down upon him, making them both fall to the floor. Her hand was wrapped around his throat, as her eyes attempted to adjust to her surroundings since they were still blurry from earlier. Antivan ran over to her and tried to tug her off the Orlesian. It was no use, her grip was too tight.

Orlesian coughed and struggled to release her grip. "Jezebel! It's me! Let go." Jezebel squinted her eyes, her vision clearing up some as she saw the scruffy light-brown haired mage staring wide-eyed up at her. His hair had been cut short, except for a few strays in his face. The lines around his eyes and on his forehead had deepened slightly with age.

Jezebel recoiled, releasing her grip and scrambling until her back hit the cot she was previously lying on. "L-Lionel?" Her eyes darted around the room, looking for the man that had tried to pull her off of her old friend. They landed on a pepper-gray haired old man. His lines on his face were much more deeper and numerous than Lionel's. The sword strapped to his side was decorated in runes, both for appearance and power. He wore a dark blue tunic and black pants, hooked together with a large utility belt that carried several poisons and potions. His faded black boots thudded against the floor as he walked towards her. "Jaiden?" Jezebel looked at the man questionably.

Jaiden nodded and held out a gloved hand to the woman. She took it with her own gloved hand and was pulled to her feet. Jaiden then extended his hand to Lionel, and did the same for him. "We didn't expect for you to wake for some time. Actually, we were hoping that you wouldn't wake up at all until you were back at the Inn."

Jezebel blinked several time, looking in between the two men. "Why? What's going on? What happened on the ship? And why are you," she directed the question to Lionel while pointing at Jaiden, "with him?"

Lionel fidgeted nervously. "Well, um…" he looked over at Jaiden for guidance. The old man shrugged and shook his head. "We were just taking a stroll?"

Jezebel tapped her foot in annoyance. It was too clear that these two were hiding something. Something that apparently involved her. But if Lionel was here, why wasn't Keegan as well? Wouldn't they have woken him up to tell him what happened? And why did they not want to wake her up in the first place? Jezebel's head swam with too many questions. Luckily, Jaiden was going to answer them before she spoke.

"I know you have a lot of questions, Jezebel." Jezebel scoffed, causing Jaiden to roll his eyes. "But we can only tell you a few-"

"But if we tell her the whole thing she might be able to help." Lionel was silently pleading with Jaiden.

Jaiden shook his head. "No, I'm afraid that she can't. Not yet."

"Well, _she,_ would love to know just what is going on. Like, why was there raw lyrium on the ship? And why was I unable to resist it?"

The old man sighed and motioned for her to sit down on the cot. Lionel grabbed two chairs that were at the corner of the small shack they were in. The two men sat down, Lionel rubbing his hands together nervously.

Jaiden cleared his throat, making sure the attention was on him. "As you may have noticed, someone is trying to kill you. We know who it is. That ship was a set up. It was obviously no coincidence that it blew up."

Jezebel snorted. "Obviously, it didn't work because here I am."

Lionel raised an eyebrow and sighed. "It wasn't supposed to kill you. Just delay you from going to Tevinter."

"But why would they want me to be delayed? What could they hope to gain from that?"

"That is something we can't tell you. Not because we don't know, but because we will be afraid of what will happen if you knew," Jaiden said as he glared slightly at the healer.

"So, I'm just supposed to play a sheep?" The two men nodded slowly. She huffed angrily. "Well, that's just splendid! Thanks for the input guys, you are so helpful."

"Jezebel, we know it's hard for you not to know, but just trust us. Alright," Lionel said, pleading with his friend.

Jezebel chewed on her lip nervously. "Alright. But you still didn't explain the whole lyrium thing."

"Runes are made with lyrium. So, naturally, you are drawn to it. It's a promise of more power. Unfortunately, too much will do exactly what it does to mages."

Jezebel felt a lump form in her throat as she thought back to Fenris. "It will… kill me?"

"As far as we know of, yes. No one has ever tried consuming it in vast amounts. I stay away from unrefined lyrium as much as I can. It's not exactly something I'm willing to test." Jaiden eyed Jezebel curiously, as her face went white with horror. "Is there something troubling you about this?"

She shook her head, her voice growing small and her eyes avoiding Jaiden's. "I, um, no. I'll stay away from lyrium."

Lionel clapped his hands together and stood up. "Good. You better be on your way. The sun will be rising in a few hours."

Jaiden stood up with Jezebel, trying to put together pieces of a puzzle that he knew she wasn't giving up. "One more thing, Jezebel."

She glanced up at him as he led her to the door, "yes?"

"The reason Lionel is working with me is because I know he can be trusted. I have many of your old clan with me as well. All the ones I know that will do anything to protect you."

"I thank you for that, but what are you implying?"

Lionel put on a grim expression as he opened the door for her. "Don't tell Keegan that you saw us."

She looked at the two men as she was halfway through the door. "Why wouldn't I? Shouldn't he already know?"

"No, he thinks we're dead," Jaiden said as he ushered her out the door, allowing Lionel to close it behind her. Jezebel was left standing on an old rickety porch, the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks filling her ears, and the words of an old man and a mage left to swim in her head.

* * *

><p>Fenris was annoyed. No. More than annoyed. He was infuriated. There was no reason for all this run around. They had gone to the Arishok that morning to tell him about what happened the previous night and all they got was one angry Qunari. Even Hawke, who was on mostly good terms with the leader, was annoyed by how he acted. But he had to tell this to the Viscount. Now, Fenris, Anders and Merrill all waited in the main common room for Aveline and Hawke to finish their business.<p>

He glanced over to the pack of his so called friends and shook his head at the sight. They were all relaxing on the upholstered seating area near the door while he crossed his arms and leaned against the pillar. They were lightly chatting about something, laughing once in a while and glancing over at him. He narrowed his eyes at them whenever they did this. Fenris didn't know what they were talking about, but he certainly hoped it wasn't about him. Especially the way they laughed about the matter. Merrill seemed more uneasy than usual, saying that she would like to get the day over with to go back home and work on something. They all knew what it was. It was the Eluvian. A forbidden mirror that Fenris wanted to smash as soon as he heard about it. As soon as he heard that she made a pact with a demon for it. In yet, Hawke still showed her affection, despite all the evil she had proved to be capable of. It sickened him. Maybe the group was getting to him, finally. He had never stayed in one place for too long and so the company of others made him a little more uneasy than it should have. Or maybe he was just taking his frustrations out on them, he didn't know. He turned his attention to the mage and Guard Captain that were descending down the stairs, bickering about whatever it was that the Viscount had told them.

"You should leave this up to the guards. We can handle this, Hawke. Just go home and get some rest."

Hawke shook his head at the woman as they made their way to the group. "No. The Arishok is angry as it is. We have to deal with this delicately. If Seamus had indeed joined the Qun, than bringing guards there isn't going to look like we're just paying him a visit. There is going to be a lot of resistance if that happens." He turned to Aveline and touched her shoulder. "Just let me deal with it, Aveline. I know what has to be done. I'm sure with a bit of charming talk from a certain mage, he will come to his senses."

Aveline smiled grimly. "Not everyone listens to you."

"The ones that don't come around sooner or later," he said while giving her his most charming grin.

The Guard-Captain shrugged his hand off and stared at him, determined. "Alright, but I'm coming with you just in case something goes wrong."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Guard Captain Aveline."

She rolled his eyes at him and opened the doors, allowing the fading sunlight to spill into the Keep.

Hawke looked over at the group when he reached the door. "Fenris, I need you to come with me. Merrill, you can go back home. I know there are things you would rather return to than playing a messenger. Anders can tag along if he wishes."

"Wouldn't leave you high and dry, Hawke," Anders said while making his way over to the other mage. Merrill ran over and hugged Hawke tightly, thanking him, before she bolted out the door and past Aveline.

The grouped arrived at the compound to find that Seamus had already left. He received a note from his father, asking him to visit at the Chantry. Hawke was scowling, as was Aveline, when they left.

"Tell me, how is it that we were sent by the Viscount to retrieve his son when he already sent a letter asking to speak with him," Hawke asked, the agitation in his voice clear.

"What else is new? It's a set up. One that I'm hoping you will investigate," Anders said as they made their way through Lowtown.

Fenris sneered at the healer. "Of course that's what we're going to do. Do you really think that Hawke would let this matter go?"

"Pray to whoever you want to that this turns out all right." Aveline silenced them both as she strutted past them, her armor shining in the moonlight.

They arrived at the Chantry to a dead Seamus. His body was cold and lifeless as Hawke tried to grab onto him. Hawke and the others looked down below them to find that they were surrounded. There were angry followers of Sister Petrice, or Mother Petrice as it were now, down below them. They claimed that Seamus went against the Maker and they would perish along with him for following the same path. A battle erupted between the two groups. Blood stained the statue of Andraste. In mid slaughter, Fenris looked up at the statue and felt Her eyes bearing down upon him, judging him. He knew he shouldn't care what a statue thought, but he couldn't help thinking what they were doing was wrong. Spilling blood in the house of the Maker. Spilling the blood of His followers. Her eyes penetrated him, and he thought he saw an expression of pain form on the statue. Fenris gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he swung his blade in front of him, slaying the last of the followers. He opened his eyes as he heard a gasp of pain. The woman fell to her knees and looked up at him. She dropped her blade, and for a moment, Fenris watched her. Her face changed to a more oval one. Her long red hair shortened to an auburn crop on her head and her ears became slightly pointed. His eyes widened to the imposter Fox as she mouthed the words "why?" to him before falling face down to the floor. Fenris stepped forward and bent down to the woman. He reached out to her, hesitating before turning the woman over. As he did so, Hawke was speaking to Grand Cleric Elthina, words that Fenris could not understand in that moment. Not until he knew… and then it happened. The woman's face stared at him, her eyes wide in horror. He wasn't sure if they were looking at him or looking at the statue. It didn't matter anymore. His mind was playing tricks on him for he saw the woman was not who he believed. She had turned back into a pathetic fool peasant and he stood back up stiffly, walking over to the group as Elthina turned towads the stairs.

"Grand Cleric? Grand Cleric," Petrice was screaming at the old woman as she made her assent up the stairs. She looked back towards the door as a Qunari warrior loaded an arrow and struck her dead in the chest. Her eyes widened in shock as she slumped downward. The group took a step back as the Qunari fired another arrow, killing the Mother. "We protect our own," the Qunari stated before turning and exiting the Chantry.

"Someone send for the Viscount," the Grand Cleric said before continuing her way up the stairs.

Hawke turned to the group and nodded to Aveline. She took off as fast as she could to alert the guard, who would in turn, alert the Viscount.

An hour passed. Hawke had tried his best to persuade the Viscount that the matter of the Qunari wasn't going to get any better now. The Viscount dismissed him, and now the group stood on the steps on the Chantry.

"That didn't look good for anyone," Anders said sighing heavily.

"Yes, well, we will meet in the morning to discuss our options." Hawke looked distantly at the night sky, wishing things had gone a different road, wishing that he had been there sooner.

"I need to talk to you, Hawke, preferably before tomorrow. I'll meet you at your home in a few hours." Aveline jolted down the stairs as Hawke called back to her.

"Can't this wait?"

Aveline paused mid-stair and did not turn back to him. "The way things are going? Not a chance."

Hawke cast his eyes down as Aveline continued her descent, followed by Anders. Fenris and Hawke stood on the steps alone for a few moments.

"Ever feel like you are playing a game you can't win?"

Fenris looked at Hawke, a bit surprised by his words. He blinked a few times before responding. "All the time."

"What do you do about it?"

"You want to know the truth?"

"Yes."

"I run. And never look back."

Hawke scoffed and shook his head. "I don't believe I can do that. I'm in too deep to just walk away now."

"Why would you stay somewhere just because you feel like people need you? They are grown, they can take care of themselves. If you feel like there is no place left here for you, then take your leave. Kirkwall will wallow quite well in it's own chaos without you here."

"Yes, I think it would," Hawke chuckled. "One question, Fenris."

"Hmm?"

"Why do you stay?"

Fenris looked out to the desolate city. His eyes roamed to the oppressive statues. Proof of their past slave heritage. His eyes flicked to Hawke's and locked to them. "What alternative do I have? You said yourself that you need me, Hawke. Has this changed?"

"I saw you in the Chantry, Fenris." Hawke stepped forward, pressing his feet down on the steps as he slowly made his decent. His back was facing the elf now. "It's true, I need you. But you know you don't want to be here." He glided down the steps with ease, leaving an angry elf behind him.

"And just where would you expect me to go?" Fenris clenched his fists, getting confused by the mixed message.

"I'll see you at the Hanged Man tomorrow." Hawke gave a short wave before reaching the bottom of the stairs and exiting the Gallows.

Fenris palmed the foreign dagger on his belt, his head drooping in exhaustion. _What do I do, Fox? _As always, the dagger gave him no answer, and he found himself walking down the stairs of the Chantry, praying silently to the Maker to give him guidance.

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><p><strong>I'm a little proud of this chapter<strong>

**No idea why, but I am.**

**Anyway, please review and blah blah blah nug testicles.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I just have to say, I had a really fun time writing this chapter. I couldn't stop writing it. I sat down for hours doing nothing else. So I hope you have fun reading it!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

**An Assassin To Remember**

"The Arishok laid still on the floors of the Keep. His blood was pooling around him as Hawke backed away from his cold, lifeless body. Isabela, the thief, walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled back and slapped him across his chest for doing something as stupid as challenging the Arishok to single combat. Hawke chuckled and rolled his eyes saying that it was good to have her back.

Fenris, Aveline and Sebastian approached Hawke as a crowd swarmed around him. Meredith made her way through the crowd, causing the mage to clutch onto his staff defensively. Would she really condemn him after he saved the city from the Qunari rule? The people would be in an absolute uproar if this happened, mage or not. He was their savior, not just now but since he stepped off the boat from Ferelden all those years ago. One by one he listened to their concerns, retrieved their lost trinkets or their lost daughters. Hawke had helped mages to freedom, and condemned the ones he believed unfit for it to the Gallows.

More than Meredith could ever say she has ever done for that City of Chains, and she knew it. The disgust on her face was clear as she held out her hand to the mage. The crowd went silent in shock. Half were expecting her to clap irons around his wrist as soon as he took her hand. But she didn't. Instead, she turned to the crowd and forced a solemn smile on her face. 'People of Kirkwall, I present to you… Your new Champion!' The people cheered, even as many of their friends laid dead at their feet. Celebration overruled mourning that day.

And that's how the story went. How Hawke earned his title and how the people of Kirkwall came to adore him and his magical ways. But like all good things, it didn't last for long. Darkness laid ahead of him. If we knew now what would have happened, I assure you, Seeker, we would have stopped it."

Cassandra stepped forward from the shadows, her eyes wide as she took in the information. "The Champion challenged the Arishok to single combat, and won? That is so… romantic." Her last word was drawn out and dripped with disbelief.

Varric chuckled and leaned forward, rubbing his hands together. "Now, Seeker, you sound like you are developing a crush on him."

"What? I can admire a decent person. But now that I know this, things could have gone quite differently than we expected. I have to know the rest of the story."

The dwarf sat back and let out a ragged breath. Perhaps he had enchanted her so much with Hawke that she would forget about Fox now? No, that was unlikely. The Seeker didn't seem to forget much, and if he tried to mull around the details, he would earn himself another threatening gesture from her dagger. Cassandra came to him to have the story told the right way, no embellishments, no feeble attempts at making Hawke and Fox more than they seemed. To be quite honest, it was boring him. The only fun he was having was to see the reaction on the Seeker's face as she got the details. Cassandra snapped her fingers, which brought the warm brown eyes of the dwarf back to her instead of where he was unknowingly observing the floor.

"What happened with Jezebel during this time? You left off with her being rescued from the ship and reunited with those street trash clan members."

Varric smiled inwardly to himself. _Fox would not like you calling them 'street trash'. _He could envision it now. Fox running in when she said that and having a duel with the Seeker. She would fire an arrow at first, pinning Cassandra against the wall and then draw her blades in the time it took for the Seeker to wretch the arrow free from her black armor that was adorned with a gold outline of the sunburst eye…

"Varric!"

He blinked a few times and shook his head. Looking back at the short haired woman, he raised his brows, expecting for her to say something more. When she didn't, he retraced his story until he could remember exactly where he left off. Varric clapped his hands together and let out a small "aha" before grinning wickedly. "Sorry, I just had to remember where we were. As I was saying before, Fox returned to the Inn just in time to see the Rivani inn keeper, who she found out later was a messenger for Jaiden taking the place of the inn keeper that had suddenly gone on vacation, sweeping the front entrance, a knowing look in her eyes. As she crept back into the room, an unhappy comrade sat on the edge of the bed, fully dressed in his leathers, staring at her irritably…"

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><p>"Where have you been?" Keegan was crossing his arms as he stood up from the feathered bed. Jezebel hugged her cloak around her, realizing the sudden chill in the air as Keegan's dark glare coursed over her. This was new to him. Back when they used to be very close, he would never give his leader a scrutinizing look, never question anything that she ever did. He was always very hesitant and cautious, child-like. But protective, always protective. Jezebel had realized that her old friend was not the man that stood before her today. He was more aggressive, more daring in his movements and his words. Or perhaps spending time in Kirkwall had just softened her demeanor? She couldn't tell. All she knew was that she felt like a teenager being scolded for sneaking out of the house by the look he was giving her.<p>

"I went for a walk," she replied sternly, taking a step past Keegan and towards her pack. Jezebel began rummaging through it, pulling out clean clothes as she noticed her night gown had become terribly tarnished through the night. Jezebel felt Keegan's eyes as they bore in the back of her skull. She stood up stiffly and turned abruptly towards him, clutching the clothes close to her chest. "Do you have something to say, Keegan?"

He pointed a finger at her accusingly. "You went to the ship. I can smell the sea on you."

Jezebel merely shrugged, her face staying neutral though her voice was raised defensively. "So what if I did?"

Keegan stalked over to her and grabbed her by the shoulder, shaking her gently. "I told you not to! Why would you go when I strictly forbid you to do so?"

Jezebel dropped her clothes on the floor and pushed away from him. "Forbid? _You_ forbid _me_ to?" She shook her head, almost laughing in disbelief. "Since when did your authority overrule mine? Since when have you ever wanted to keep me from going somewhere? You know, Keegan, for someone who wants me to have the guild back you are acting like-" She bit her tongue and turned away from him. Quickly, she picked up her clothes, shuffling them about in an angry huff.

His voice croaked, almost as if he were hurt by her unsaid statement. "Like Lawrence?"

She shut her eyes tight and chewed her bottom lip nervously. "Yes," she let out a deep breath, "like Lawrence."

She heard him take a step forward, and then retreat it as quickly as it came. "What are you accusing me of, Jezebel?" Her mind raced. What was she accusing him of? The thought of the conversation from a few hours ago was still fresh in her mind. _He thinks we're dead. _If Jaiden and Lionel didn't trust Keegan enough to let them in on this game that they were playing then… No. She quickly tossed the thought away. Keegan was her friend. He had been for years. Her most trusted apprentice, always there to back him up. He risked his own skin to save her years ago when he sent her on that boat to Rialto. But what happened between then and now? She needed to know. The information could prove dire to their mission.

She turned to him now, the question hanging on her lips as she saw him tense up. But instead of an interrogation, she blurted out an apology. "My head is not in the right state. Lack of sleep I suspect. Just ignore me. I apologize for being so abrupt with my statement."

Keegan nodded his head understandingly. He backed up towards the door and hung his hand around the handle. "Perhaps you should wash up. Come downstairs when you're finished. I suspect our morning meal is prepared. If not, then we will have to bug the Rivaini until her head explodes into some eggs and bread." A smile entered his eyes as Jezebel chuckled at the vision that entered her mind. He left the room, leaving Jezebel to contemplate everything that was speeding through her mind. She went over the a desk where a fresh bowl of cool water sat. Removing her cloak and gown, as well as throwing off her boot unceremoniously, she dipped a clean cloth into the water and washed the grime of dirt and mud off of herself.

Her hand stopped as she got close to the runes on her shins. They were the most noticeable and the ones that throbbed almost constantly. A faint glow of the half Tevinter symbols shined through her skin. The power from the glow left a faint imprint on the skin itself. Affects from being too close to the unrefined lyrium, no doubt. She circled the outline of the rune on her left shin with her index finger. With her thumb and index finger, she measured the size of the half rune. "Hmph." Normally, it was the size of a half of an apple, but today it appeared to be the size of a sovereign. Jezebel blinked a few times and rolled her eyes at herself. She was just being paranoid. Dipping the cloth back in the water, she washed her sides, gently going over some small gashes that she had gotten on the journey back through the rocks. She lost her footing and slipped, a jagged piece striking at her side. When she wiped away the dirt, she saw it was still bleeding. _Going to have to patch that up,_ she thought as new blood formed around the opening. She drew her eyebrows together as she saw a tint of green coming out with the blood, but when she wiped it away, no more replaced it.

Slipping into new pants and socks, Jezebel walked over to her pack and opened up an injury kit that she kept stashed away. She hastily bandaged the area, applying a light salve to prevent infection. Slipping on a dark brown tunic, she pulled on her boots and headed towards the door. She staggered and almost fell onto the floor, but she caught herself on the door. Her eyes glazed over, blurring her vision as her head swam. In a few breathes, the blurriness cleared away and she stood upright again. _What was that about? Probably just hungry. _Her stomach growled in agreement. She shrugged to herself, grabbing her daggers and strapping them to her belt, just in case, and went out the door, following the lavishly decorated hallway to the stairs.

The breakfast was quick. It turns out that while Jezebel was getting dressed, Keegan was bugging the Inn keeper for food. After quite a lot of bashing of pots and pans in the kitchen and a few swear words in a language Jezebel nor Keegan understood, they were presented with an… edible meal. Jezebel had inhaled it, not caring about the foul taste, while Keegan had moved the food around with his fork, making remarks about how in Rivain they eat whatever crawled up on the shores and the meal looked like it had crawled up on shore and into someone's shoe who walked around with it for a week before deciding to eat it. This got him a well-deserved slap on the back on the head by the Rivaini and a few more curse words.

After their meal, Jezebel headed back up stairs while Keegan waited outside for her, not wanting to receive another slap by the Inn keeper. Jezebel swore he was growing afraid of her by the way he sunk back whenever she entered the room and his eyes would dart back onto his plate. She went over to the wall where her leathers were hung. Rarely did she ever use them, but after an increased amount of anxiety from what happened the day before, she strapped them on. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a note on the desk next to the wash basin. She had not seen the note when she entered the room, even after using the basin to wash her hands after the meal. It was new. Quickly, Jezebel turned and put her back to the wall, scanning the room. She felt a faint breeze coming in as it graced her face. Peering over her shoulder, she saw that the window was open.

"Faoi Déantóir …" _By the Maker._ She rushed over to the window and pulled the shutters in, locking them with the latch on the inside. Sensing nothing that her ears nor eyes could pick up, she made her way over to the desk and picked up the letter. She tore it open and began scanning it immediately.

_Jezzy,_

_What are you doing back in Antiva, my dear? I saw your ship land and then suddenly go BOOM! I hope that you are well, though I have no doubt one of your skill hasn't become a rich noblewoman already. Perhaps you even have a few manservants as it were? I saw the one that is with you now and I must say, job well done! Though I never expected you to be into the 'tall dark and handsome' types. But I am not judging. I apologize for not sending any letters in the past couple of years, but duty calls! I wish I could have seen you instead of leaving this crude letter, but Nuncio is relentless and doesn't let me have any fun. I heard that I am apparently heading to Kirkwall, so I guess I will meet myself there, aha! The chase with him will end there, I assure you. Hopefully, you will still be in Antiva when I am finished in a few weeks._

_Best Wishes,_

_Zev_

_P.S- Don't worry about the Crows chasing you any longer. It appears they have a problem with a few Guild Master assassinations._

Jezebel smiled widely as she folded Zevran's letter and placed it neatly within her pack. _A rich noblewoman? _She scoffed at the idea, but grinned at his charm, nonetheless. She tossed her cloak over herself, covering up the daggers that were now strapped to her side. It was easier not to cause suspicion if they just weren't seen. Jezebel headed back out the door and down the stairs. She met Keegan outside and he nodded curtly to her.

"What's with the smile?"

Her face grew red as she didn't realize that she was still grinning ear-to-ear. She waved her hand nonchalantly. "It's nothing. Let's go find out when another ship is coming and resupply. Unless you want to walk all the way to Tevinter?"

Keegan huffed and began walking with her towards the town square. "With our luck in ships, we might as well."

They stopped at a nearby stall, admiring the hand-woven scarves. Jezebel picked up a silk red one, rolling in between her fingers. "What are the chances that it will happen again? Perhaps we should just rent a row boat and you can row me all the way there." She giggled at the thought as she remembered the 'manservant' comment in the letter.

Keegan scowled at the idea. "I think it's better if we just buy two stags and ride our way there."

The dwarven merchant, who had been watching his stall closely, crept near. "You're not going to find horses in this city, boy. Too crowded. They don't sell here. You will have to go to the next town over and hope that they have some there."

Keegan nodded, considering the idea. "We will think about it, thank you."

The merchant eyed Jezebel as she was still smoothing the cloth between her fingers. "That scarf would look lovely on you, my dear. Bring a little color to your ensemble and it matches your eyes beautifully."

Jezebel flushed as the merchant gave her a toothy grin. "How much?"

The merchant considered this for a moment, tapping his chin with his finger. "For that fine piece of work? Three silvers."

Jezebel scoffed. She had the money, certainly, but she was not going to pay that much for a piece of cloth. A few moments passed by, filled with haggling over the red scarf, until she finally grinned and handed over one silver and five pennies. The merchant shook his head ruefully as she opened her cloak and tied the sash to her belt. "I'd swear that you would be from Orzammar the way you haggle."

"It's a gift," she said as she hooked Keegan's arm and walked away from the stall.

They spent the majority of the day finding out where they would sell horses in this part of Antiva. They decided to hold off on stocking up on items until they were sure of when they were going. By nightfall, they had already been to three different villages, all claiming that they had sold their breeds. One farmer was willing to sell his two riding horses, but his sons had taken them out to go see family and wouldn't be back for two weeks. All he had were pack horses, and they wouldn't do for a long trip.

Depressingly, they two headed back to the inn, feeling completely unaccomplished for that day. Jezebel was more uneasy than Keegan was, as he had barely said anything negative about their progress for the evening. Which got Jezebel thinking again, and when she thinks, you know it's not about anything good. She tried to push the thoughts away as she grabbed an extra blanket and pillow from the closet and laid down on the floor. Keegan peered down at her as he removed his boots. "What are you doing?"

She raised an eyebrow, unaware that she was doing anything abnormal. "What do you mean?" Keegan gestured to the floor and realization hit her. She grew uneasy at the memories that it brought up. "It's… just a habit that I got into. I can't sleep on the bed anyway. Too lumpy."

He bounced up and down on the bed experimentally and tilted his head quizzically. "I don't feel anything wrong with it. But alright, have it your way. If I step on you in the middle of the night when going to use the chamber pot, you're not allowed to get angry. Just warning you."

Jezebel laughed and grabbed the pillow from under her, hitting Keegan, and put it back. This was the Keegan that she knew. Now if only he could stay this way for the two weeks that they had to wait for horses, it would be a much better thing to endure.

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><p>The week flew by. It was filled with parties and celebrations in Hawke's honor. Fenris didn't attend any of them. He didn't like the crowds, didn't like the way the people in them looked at him. They either treated him like a servant, or like he was going to rob them blind at any moment. It infuriated him beyond belief. So when Hawke's invitation came for a celebration, he used it as kindling for the fireplace. There was no point in celebrating, he thought, why would someone celebrate over the death of another? Even he regretted killing Hadriana at some moments. She did give him useful information, however. Though he did not know if he wished to look for this 'sister' of his. What was the point of it? All he ever did was hope and search for happiness for it only to escape his grasp every time he came close. The other's called him 'bitter'. Yes, he was bitter. And why shouldn't he be? According to him, according to his past and history, he had all the more right to be than anyone else. Especially Anders. He gritted his teeth as he looked over to the mage who was sitting next to Hawke in Varric's permanent room at the Hanged Man. He created his own misery by allowing that <em>demon<em> to fester within him. He chose his path, Fenris did not. And he felt like the only one who ever acknowledged that fact.

But here they were again, deciding who needed help and who they needed to save. It was the same drawl over and over again. Even more so now that Hawke was the Champion of Kirkwall. It seemed like everyone was asking for favors. This made the dwarf anxious as he poured over his accounting books, racking up figures in his head, comparing how much they earned, how much they gave away as charity, and how much they spent. He appeared exhausted, but his quirky humor never faltered.

"So, Hawke, want to do a little bounty hunting?"

Hawke, who had been talking with Merrill and Anders about different forms of magic and mana, turned his attention to Varric. "Depends, what kind of bounty hunting?"

Varric sniffed and shook his head. "You know, dressing up as Orlesian nobles and having a good ole fox hunt." Fenris shot Varric a deadly glare for the remark but the dwarf ignored it. "I mean, helping that Antivan with that bounty that we heard about a while ago. The assassin is here, apparently. Arrived yesterday."

Hawke considered it for a moment and nodded his head sharply. "Alright. Let's do it."

Varric spread his hands. "Who are we bringing?"

The mages eyes roamed the table. There were few people there as it were, so it was more of a matter of what one person was being left behind. He looked back over at the dwarf. "Where are we going?"

"Well," Varric said stiffening, "I met with a man named Nuncio this morning, just in case. The assassin is hiding in with the Dalish, so I suspect we have to go there and interrogate them."

Merrill shrunk away at the thought. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to go."

Hawke touched her hand, rubbing it lovingly, and softened his eyes towards her. "Don't worry, you don't have to." She sighed in relief and quickly plastered a smile on her face.

Anders, Hawke, Fenris and Varric made a silent trip up to the Dalish Camp. They were 'welcomed' by two Dalish hunters pointing arrows at their heads. Upon closer inspection, they lowered their bows and gave a terse nod to Hawke. "Welcome, shem. You may come in but do not linger long. Our arrows are trained on you, as always."

The camp seemed more tense than usual. As they approached the fire pit, several eyes turned towards them and they heard the shuffling of bare feet as they backed away. The scent of rosemary hung in the air as some men put away long eloquent pipes. Hawke looked towards Fenris. "Do they smoke that stuff?"

Fenris shrugged, his eyes roaming around the camp. "I wouldn't know. I never spent enough time with the Dalish to map out their habits and rituals."

"Just asking," Hawke mumbled to himself, as his eyes studied the carved masks of their gods that were attached to their carts. He noticed that he never really _looked_ around the camp. It seemed quite peaceful, if you took away all the deadly elves ready to kill a human in a matter of seconds, of course. A female elf approached them, her red hair matching the fire that stood in front of them. Vallaslin, or elven tattoos to honor their gods, swirled neatly along her forehead and chin.

She smiled warmly to the outsiders, a welcome change to their usual greetings. "Andaran atish'an. Dirth falon." The woman waved her hand as she spoke.

Hawke raised his eyebrows and held up his hands. "In the common tongue, please?"

She laughed, "Speak, friend."

"Ah. We're looking for-"

The woman held up her hand for him to stop. "You are looking for the elven assassin, yes?" Hawke nodded his head as she continued. "You will find him up the mountain, in the caverns. He told us to send anyone looking for him there so they would not disturb the camp. Now, does he sound like a horrible man to you?"

The woman walked away, leaving Hawke awe struck at the conversation. He blinked in amazement as mutterings from his group arrived, wondering how good of an assassin he really was.

A few moments later they found themselves deep within the caverns, the same ones they had passed through when finding the hammer for Merrill. Hawke walked down the steep slope, only to stop suddenly as a creature rose from the ground. A Varterral. Hawke scoffed while taking out his staff, the orb on the top glowing madly as he charged up his powers. "I thought we killed this thing already!"

Varric loaded a bolt into Bianca, jumping down to the side where he could shoot in range but hidden in the shadows. "Merrill told a story about them once. She said that they will always come back if they have something to protect!" He screamed a war cry while shooting the bolt at the charging Varterral. One of it's long legs came crashing down on the rock floor, causing the cavern to shake. Small chunks of rock rained down on them as they readied themselves for battle.

Fenris murmured a curse to himself as he pulled out his gleaming blade. He slashed experimentally with it before charging head first at the creature. Hawke whispered to himself, the tip of his staff glowing bright as a magical flame burst from the tip. It grew the more he concentrated until it was as big as he was. He whipped the fire off of his staff and towards the Varterral, which was in a head to head confrontation with the lyrium warrior. Fenris turned his head to see the fire coming closer to him, the heat burning into his back. He was too slow, however, as the Varterral caught him by surprise, swinging one of it's legs at him and flying him into a nearby wall. Which just might of saved his life. The fire ball crashed into the creature, setting it's front legs aflame. It let out an eerie shriek as it kicked it's front legs out, standing on it's back ones, and trying to shake the fire off.

Fenris grunted as he grasped onto his side, still holding his sword. He broke a rib during the fall and slowly stood up. A wave of light surrounded him and a cooling sensation spread throughout his body. He looked over to see Anders casting a spell his way and, despite his hatred for the man, nodded his head in thanks as the pain in his side dulled. He picked up his sword again in both hands and charged to the underbelly of the flaming Varterral.

A few bolts of lightening flew by him, striking the creature in it's head, as well as two arrows that were precisely shot to the creature's lower legs. The Varterral screamed in agony as it toppled over onto it's back. Fenris used a boulder as leverage and leapt off of it, jutting his sword out in front of him and lowering it as he flew closer to the creature. In one swift movement, he pushed his body weight down, allowing himself to drop and his blade to plunge into the heart of the creature. It twitched violently for a few seconds before laying still, never to awaken again.

Hawke walked over to Fenris and clapped him on the back as he dislodged his sword and jumped off the Varterral's corpse. "Good work."

Fenris grunted in response as they followed Hawke to what looked like an exit. He stiffened as he heard a loud clapping noise. He and the others turned to the source. From the shadows emerged a blonde-haired elf, dressed in expensive leathers and carrying a sword on his back as well as a short curved dagger. His face was tattooed on one side, going along his cheek bone. His warm brown eyes sparkled with amusement as he stopped in front of them. Hawke still had his staff drawn and he charged it up, warning the man that a potential conflict would be bad for his health. The elf saw this and raised his hands innocently.

"I do not wish a conflict with you," his Antivan accent rolled off of his tongue, making the man seem even more alluring. "I mean just to talk. I am honored that the Champion of Kirkwall would accept such a trivial task to retrieve one such as myself."

Hawke's staffed dimmed as he looked at the elf, confused. "How do you know who I am?"

The elf chuckled heartily. "Well, who doesn't know in this land of the great Champion Hawke that defeated the Arishok? I apologize. I must seem rude. I am Zevran Ariani, Zev to my friends."

"Are you the man that Nuncio is looking for?"

Zevran nodded curtly. "I am. What story did he say this time? That I robbed him blind? Murdered his family and he seeks vengeance? Or kill a nobleman? It is so interesting to see the ways the Crows come up with to lure someone into their trap. But," he waved his hand about, "I digress. If you wish me to come with you, then I will."

Hawke raised his eyebrows, slightly alarmed. "Wait, they're Crows? And hold on. Let's just back up for a second. You're Zevran, _the_ Zevran that helped defeat the blight?"

Zevran held his hand under his chin and placed his other hand on his elbow, his eyes glistening in the firelight of the burning Varterral corpse. "Ah. So you have heard of me as well. Yes, that is I. And yes, they are Crows. But I suppose that information doesn't matter since you are only here to get your money, yes?"

"If I did want to bring you back, you wouldn't fight?" Hawke looked at the man, completely unfathomed by the fact that he wasn't putting up any resistance.

Zevran made a small 'tsk' sound and let his hands swing in front of him. "Nope. You can even tie me up and gag me. Ravish me, even." His twinkling eye winked to the mage. "I won't fight."

Hawke placed his hand on his forehead, wiping away the sweat that had formed there. "I'm not going to turn you in."

Zevran placed his hands on his hips and nodded once, as if expecting as much. "Very well. I will be seeing you then. But you may want to deal with Nuncio and his gang. If I know the Crows, they are not going to like this. And the Crows do not like loose ends." He swirled his hand in a circle and bowed gracefully before setting off through the exit.

Hawke looked down at Varric and shrugged. "Guess you will have to lead us to where they are."

Varric rolled his eyes in amazement. "This day just gets more and more interesting."

"Indeed," Fenris muttered under his breath, which caused a curious look by Anders. The mage shook it off and continued to follow Hawke and Varric through the cavern.

It was about an hours walk through the hills and rocky valleys before they reached Nuncio's camp. The Crow came up to them, looking around expectantly. When he didn't see what he wanted, he narrowed his eyes at the Champion. "I didn't expect you back so soon. Do you have news?"

Hawke had a smug smile on his face as he addressed Nuncio. "I let Zevran go."

Nuncio took a step back in disbelief. "You… what? You let him go?" He looked over to his men and directed a nod towards Hawke. "We don't take kindly to this sort of action."

They heard a familiar 'tsk'ing noise and turned to find Zevran walking up next to them. "See? I knew he would do this."

Anders looked at the elf, surprised by his stealthy appearance. "You came back?"

Zevran gave him a modest smile which hardened when he looked back towards Nuncio. "This ends here." He took out a concealed dagger, which Fenris had no idea where it would have come from, and he was watching the elf closely, and Zevran threw it almost directly behind him, landing it in the throat of one of Nuncio's Crow companions. The man dropped his blade that he was going to stick in Zevran's back, and clutched his throat, gurgling as blood spouted from it. He dropped to the ground, dead.

Nuncio let out a war cry and charged at the group. The other four men followed suite. Fenris leapt out, protecting Hawke and Varric as they readied themselves. A man came running towards them. Fenris spun to put force behind his attack and dug his blade into the man's side. The man let out a cry of pain as the blade sunk through his light armor and crossed halfway through him. Fenris placed his bare foot on the man as he fell and dislodged the blade. He looked over to see Zevran battling one-on-one with Nuncio, and doing extremely well. Behind him, he heard Hawke mumbling an enchantment and immediately dodged out of the way as a blast of cold erupted from Hawke's staff, slowing down the two men, freezing one, that were coming towards them. Anders charged up a bolt of lightening from his staff and shot it dead on to one of the attackers. The man fell to the ground, withering in pain and jolting about. Fenris heard a thwang as Bianca released a bolt into the head of the frozen man. The head shattered, leaving a frozen statue pouring blood like a fountain before shattering completely.

"Help Zevran!" Fenris shouted to the others as he eyed a man with a bow and arrow across the field. Hawke nodded to show he acknowledged his words and turned to help the assassin. Fenris charged towards the bowman, staggering a bit as an arrow lodged itself into his shoulder. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain as he activated his lyrium tattoos. In a flash he was in front of the man, who was caught off guard by the elf's sudden speed. Fenris released one of his hands from his blade and used it to reach through the poor helmet that covered the man's head. The bowman screamed in horror as Fenris squeezed hard, making the man's eyes and ears bleed as his brain crushed under the pressure. Fenris drew his hand back as the bowman dropped on his knees. In a sudden moment that he still doesn't know why, Fenris took the short blade from his belt, the one that he had been pawing at for weeks now, and raised it to the man's throat. He recited the prayer in his mind as he drew the blade quickly across his windpipe. The man dropped, the dry ground absorbing the pool of blood now forming around him. Fenris noticed the arrow still lodged in his shoulder and gripped onto it, ripping it out with a gasp of pain. Blood formed around the hold in his armor, soaking the tunic under it.

Fenris turned to see that Nuncio was cut down and he walked back towards the group who began sacking the Crow's goods. He placed his sword back in it's holster, but still clutched onto the dagger. Zevran stood at the edge of the camp, waiting patiently for the group to be done. The lyrium elf walked over to the blonde man and stood next to him.

Zevran's eyes lingered on Fenris for a few moments before catching sight of what was in the elf's hand. His eyes widened as he turned and stood in front of Fenris, pointing accusingly at that dagger. "Where did you get _that_?"

Fenris' eyes followed the elf's until they hit the dagger in his hand. He held up his hand and opened his palm to show Zevran. "This? A friend gave it to me." _Friend_. The words stung his tongue as he forced them out. He choked back his emotion and remained to stare neutrally at the elf.

Zevran quickly snatched the dagger out of his hand and avoided any attempts for Fenris to get it back. "No. She would not just give this to someone. I know this. Did you steal this from her?"

The others came and surrounded the two, watching the spectacle. Fenris grew angry and snarled at the Antivan elf. "No! I did not _steal_ it from her. She dropped it when she-" He looked away shamefully and Zevran blinked, getting the idea of where this was going.

"When she left?"

Fenris nodded solemnly. "How did you know it was hers?"

Zevran smirked, admiring the words that Jezebel had carved into the surface, though not understanding them. "I gave it to her."

Fenris' eyes flicked to the man's face, reading it carefully. He was telling the truth. Fenris thought back to the story that Jezebel had told them in the Deep Roads and realized that it was indeed the same person that gave her a place to live in Rialto that was standing before him. So he had given her the dagger as well? She must have really trusted this man, then, to keep a momentum of him for so long. Fenris decided that if he was worthy of Fox's trust, than he was worthy of his.

A lump formed in his throat as he asked the next question. "Do you want it back?" He hoped not. It was the only thing that he had left of her. The only thing that could remind him that she was indeed real and not just something that he made up to comfort himself.

Zevran peered closely at Fenris, studying his hesitant expression. He nodded to himself a few times, which made Fenris nervous, and made a decision. "No. But I will not give it back to you."

Fenris was taken aback by this, and he flared his anger. Before he could rage out at the blonde assassin, Zevran held up his hand. "We will let her decide that."

Fenris calmed down, but his anger was now replaced by complete confusion. "How? She isn't here. She's across Thedas by now."

The elf chuckled, clearly amused by this. He shook his head and rolled his eyes mockingly. "No, no. She is in Rialto. I just saw her there last week. If the game goes the way it's supposed to, then she should be there for at least another week, maybe a week and a half."

"The… game?"

Zevran waved his hand at him. "I will explain it to you on the way."

Hawke held up his hands, not sure what was going on. "Wait. Who are you talking about and where are you taking Fenris?"

Zevran looked over at the man and let out another hardy chuckle. "Why, he's going with me to find his love, Jezzy, of course."

Fenris staggered back as if struck. His face flushed in both anger and embarrassment at the word. Hawke smiled his approval at this idea and Varric was inclined to agree that it was a good plan. Fenris gestured out his hand to the group. "Don't I get a say in this?"

Zevran shrugged, biting on his thumb nail. "Why, I believe your face has already spoken for you. Come. We will gather your things and be on our way! I hope you don't get seasick."

"I- I have nothing to gather. Everything I own is with me." Apparently, he wasn't fighting it. He was going with this mysterious assassin that he had just met hours beforehand but the man acted like he knew Fenris his entire life. Fenris looked to the others and they shrugged.

"Good! This will make the journey much quicker. Say your goodbyes." Zevran wandered off, kicking Nuncio's corpses head as he did so.

Fenris looked over to Hawke, who held out his hand. He grasped it firmly, and shook it proudly. "You come back with our Fox. In one piece."

Fenris smirked and let go of his hand. "Of course." He looked down at the dwarf and clasped his hand onto his arm. "You better not make up some wild tale about me while I'm gone, dwarf."

Varric chuckled and patted the elf's arm. "Wouldn't dream of it, Broody."

Fenris looked over at Anders and merely gave him a sharp nod, to which the healer replied with his own. A wave of light surrounded Fenris then. He felt the hole in his shoulder mend. Fenris glanced over to the healer and gave him a more friendly nod of thanks. He looked back to Hawke, giving him the faintest smile. "Tell the others goodbye for me."

"This isn't goodbye, Fenris." Hawke's eyes softened as he referred to his friend. "This is just a minor detour. I'll see you again." Fenris nodded at Hawke again and turned his back on him. He wasn't the one for long goodbyes. Everything that was needed to be said was and that's all there was to it. He began placing one foot in front of the other, and followed the crazy Antivan to a strange country filled with strange people to find someone that made him feel… not-so-strange.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay, progress!<strong>

**I have fun writing Zevran's character. I just hope I got him right.**

**Please review. Critique and praise are welcome.**

**If you have a question, you can also message me. I'll be happy to answer to the best of my abilities, but I won't do spoilers.**


	13. Interlude 1

**A/N- This is just a short insight to events that are happening with Lawrence. I think it was about time that we were introduced to this honorable man. -insert heavy sarcasm-**

**Interlude 1:**

**A Piece of the Plan**

A man dressed in freshly cleaned leathers stood at attention in front of a large, luxuriously decorated wooden table that was placed strategically in front of a stone fireplace. The fire crackled harshly, it's light stretched out to illuminate the royal blue papered walls. The fire cast a shadow on the man's face, sharpening his features. His sharp blue-silver eyes stared at the door across the room, as if he could will it to open. His lip, which was partially covered by a hastily trimmed dirty-blonde beard and mustache, twitched in annoyance. He had arranged this meeting a week prior, giving plenty of time for the magister to prepare.

Now, his patience was wearing thin, especially as all he could focus on was the pacing feet of two of the men he had brought with him. Just as he thought he was going to snap and throw a dagger at one of the young boys that was irritating him so, the door opened with a loud creak. Immediately, the pacing halted. A tall, stern looking man entered the room. He waved his hand, lighting the torches that lined the walls to bring more light into the dark and dreary room. Even with the added light, it was still no more cheery than it was before. There were no windows, in yet a cool draft always seemed to shift through the paper-lined stone walls. The floors held a gleam, as if the slaves that lined the desolate corridors throughout the mansion worked until their fingers bled to wax them daily.

The magister wore a dark grey robe, matching the mop of hair on his head and his poorly kept beard. The distaste he showed for this whole meeting was clear on his face. A small, bone thin slave in torn clothing followed behind him, carrying what appeared to be a bottle of wine and two glasses. The magister's voice was cool and calm as he gestured his hand to the cushioned chairs. "Join me for a drink." The dirty haired man sat down as gracefully as he could, but still managed to scrape the chair against the floor as his weight hit the chair. The magister joined him as the slave carefully uncorked the bottle of Tevinter wine.

The magister took his glass, smelling the red liquid and smiled in a way that was foreign to his face. "Aggregio Pavali. 9:29 vintage. Not as old as I like it, but it has it's charms." The magister took a small sip and swirled the glass in his hands.

The other man took a large gulp of the wine, placing the glass back on the table as the slave retreated away hastily. "I'm not here to talk about wine, Magister Danarius. I'm here to talk about our deal."

Danarius chuckled darkly, his dark eyes staring into the fire. The flames swirled about as if they were dancing just for him. "Now, now, Lawrence. Last you told me, all the pieces were falling into place. Your man is close to her now as we speak. The ship blowing up is delaying their progress so we may have better control on where they go. I was even able to pay off the local farm holders to release their horses into the wild. What more could you possibly have to tell me?"

Lawrence shifted in his seat uneasily. He took another large sip of the wine, the sweet but tart juices caressing his tongue. He let out a ragged breath as he placed the empty glass back on the table. "It seems that there are some… unexpected allies to Jezebel's cause."

The magister grunted, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I thought _you_ took care of all the loose ends." His words were harsh, and Lawrence flinched at his emphasis on how much pressure he put on him.

"I was led to believe I did. No one would have been able to survive those poisons that we laced their water with. I'm not even entirely sure that these are the same people that we are dealing with."

Danarius held his hands up to chin level and tapped them against them methodically. A small spark weaved between his fingers as he nodded to himself. "If these are not the same people, then why would they worry you so much? Why arrange a meeting with me at all when that information could have been sent by messenger?"

"Because," Lawrence cleared his throat, suddenly having a dry feeling, "one of the men that were with them has been spotted off of the coast of Bastion on a small ship."

"And?" The spark grew and spun around Danarius' hand faster as his impatience flared.

"And… the reports say that there is a strange looking elf with him. At first I thought nothing of this because the man himself is a strange looking elf, but then I read how the companion seemed to glow when he was angry; or more specifically, his tattoos began glowing. I think your slave is in league with these conspirators."

The spark dissipated as Danarius slammed his hand down on the arm of the chair. He gripped the wood tightly, as if he was about to set it aflame. Lawrence shook his leg in angst, wondering if he should move in case of any unexpected explosion from the magister. He hated magic. Always had. He only tolerated it because it proved useful during his reign as the leader of Umbra Et Vulpes. Lawrence despised the allegiance that he had formed with the magister. He would have stuck an arrow through his neck the minute the man had first approached him with the offer, but it proved too much as a good opportunity. And Lawrence could never refuse a good opportunity. Danarius pushed himself up and walked towards the fire. His back was to Lawrence as he spoke. "And your men did not try to capture my little wolf?"

Lawrence shook his head solemnly. "No. We didn't want to interfere. It's too soon-"

Danarius whipped around, a white magical flame growing around his clenched fist. "Didn't want to interfere? I have invested much of my time, money and influences in this hopeless task of yours." Lawrence went to speak but quickly clapped his mouth shut as the flame grew. "I have done nothing but give you whatever you wished for. All I asked in return was your services in capturing Fenris. You should be lucky I was even giving you this chance after the little stunt that you pulled years ago that made me lose him in the first place."

Lawrence straightened in his seat, nodding his head curtly. "I understand this and I appreciate your efforts. I have a suspicion that if we continue how we are, both Jezebel and Fenris will fall into our laps as planned. Your slave being there will change nothing about our hold on the situation."

The flame went out as Danarius let out a low, grumbling chuckle. "You underestimate him. It was not just simple luck that made him evade recapture all these years and not just a coincidence that Hadriana was found with her heart crushed, Lawrence." He waved his hand to him, and Lawrence stood up from his chair. "Go. Continue on with your little plan. But if you screw up one more time, if one thing fails to fall into place… I will show you why my slaves are the most orderly in all of Minrathous."

Lawrence sneered as he bowed slightly to the magister and turned away. _Orderly? I don't recall them being so orderly when you fretted about how your most precious one got away._ He feared the man too much to say this out-loud. He would take his anger out on his men later, he decided. The small slave ran to the door and opened it for him. He didn't even bother to see if his men were following him as he stomped out of the crumbling manor.

He made his way to a group of men and horses that were standing in front of a rusting gate. He looked over to a figure in a black cloak that stood out among the men in green. The figure trotted their horse over to Lawrence as he climbed upon his own dark brown steed. The gates creaked open as two of his men pushed them open, revealing a long broken cobble path back down to the rotting city. The figures horse stopped next to his as they turned the horses heads to face the path. Lawrence sighed, looking at the figure as they pulled down their hood, revealing dark red hair that waved and curled down to her shoulders. Her jaw was set in a fine line as she looked over to Lawrence, her steel blue eyes searching his face.

Lawrence nodded his head once to her. "You will do as our contract said. I expect no complications from someone as highly recommended as you are. Unfortunately, there have been some changes that I need you to deal with."

The woman smirked lightly, her voice thick in an Orlesian accent. "This will cause my rate to go higher, you realize this, yes?"

Lawrence scowled. "Yes."

Their horses began trotting down the path as the group moved forward. "Then what do you wish me to do?"

He looked out onto the horizon, admiring how the gleaming night sky fell in complete contrast to the hole that was Minrathous. "I need you to do what Bards do best. There is a man who I thought I killed a while back interfering with our plans. Gain his trust, make him believe you are his ally."

"And what would you have me do when this is done?"

Lawrence smiled, his eyes twinkling with the thrill of his scheme. "Cut out the runes from his flesh and bring them to me along with his heart. This man has caused me too much trouble for me to take this lightly."

The Bards face grew solemn as she closed her eyes and bowed her head. She lifted it shortly after praying silently to the Maker for forgiveness. "May I know the name of this man?"

"Jaiden Naphtali. You will find him on the outskirts of Rialto. Ride fast, for I don't know how long he will linger."

The Bard turned her horse off the trail, ready to head south to a boat that would bring her east. As her horse began a steady trot, Lawrence spoke once more. "You better not fail me, Lacey. Or it shall be your heart that I seek to have in my fire."

Lacey did not respond to this, merely leaned forward and tightened her feet to the steed, causing it to go at an alarming speed. She rode off, pulling her hood back up, as she went to seek her target.


End file.
